Attitude: More Important than Exercise
I never fail to be amazed at how much attitude matters. It sounds so squishy and lame, and yet… Again and again, research and real life prove that attitude is the single biggest determinant of almost everything.
I saw it in researching THE UNTHINKABLE (in studies and stories showing that people with a healthy attitude recover more fully from trauma), and you can see it again today in the New York Times. In a study mentioned on the front page, people who a positive attitude about aging lived an average of 7.5 years longer (a bigger increase than those associated with exercising or not smoking).
One problem: we know way more about how to quit smoking than we do about how to change your attitude. Which is harder, for example? I don’t know. I am guessing quitting smoking.
This all reminds me of a fantastic quote by the theologian Charles Swindoll. I first learned of this quote when I was working on a story about 9/11. A man told me his wife had slipped this quote under the door to his home office the night before she left on a business trip. She died on one of the hijacked planes.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
john said on November 18, 2008 at 6:39 am
every thing is in the mind man makes is own problems but fails to see the long term impact of short term gain
Freeware Downloads said on January 29, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I seem to remember reading that are a trauma, people cope better it they can put the incident out of their minds and continue with life as normal. Counselling can even be damaging in this regard since it makes people dwell too long on a problem instead of moving on.
Smoking Cigars said on February 05, 2009 at 9:46 am
Well it is great that you guys know how to quit smoking. As for the attitude, it’s different when it comes to the personality of each person!
Antoinette B. Kean said on February 27, 2009 at 9:37 am
Burgundy Wine lies at the very heart of France, and is one of the world’s finest wine producing regions. Located two hours to the southeast of Paris, the wine area starts in Chablis in the north of the region and then it follows the autoroute A6 southerly to Lyon.
Burnsville Personal Trainer said on July 05, 2009 at 10:39 pm
attitude helps to cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it will bring constructive changes into your life, and makes them happier, brighter and more successful.
attitude counts a lot!
Garage Floor Plans said on October 22, 2009 at 1:52 pm
You are right about knowing more about quitting the dreaded ‘habit’ than we currently give due consideration to our attitude. Having tried and failed on several occasions I do think that if your attitude is better you are far moe likely to suceed.
jhon1986 said on December 13, 2009 at 1:08 am
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michael arthur said on January 31, 2010 at 7:28 am
Everybody knows that smoking is injurious to health and why people still smoke! Smokers are shortened their lives by using such thing.
Chicago movers said on August 12, 2010 at 8:46 am
Attitude speaks more than any other.If it lost then all where lost.
web engineering said on August 18, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Positive attitude really help out us in getting positive energy as well as its best to show attitude at some places.