When I created a company to handle my corporate speaking engagements， I named it Attitude Is Altitude because without a positive attitude I never would have been able to rise above my disabilities and reach so many people.
You may be tempted to scoff at the concept of “attitude adjustment” because it has become such a staple of motivational posters and coaching materials. But there is real power in controlling your attitude， adjusting it to counter moods and stop behaviors that may threaten your ability to live without limits. The psychologist and philosopher William James， who taught at Harvard University， said that one of the greatest discoveries of his generation was the realization that by changing our attitudes， we can change our lives.
Whether you are aware of it or not， you view the world through your own unique perspectives or attitudes based on your beliefs of what is good or bad， wrong or right， fair or unfair. Your decisions and actions are based on those attitudes， so if what you‘ve been doing isn’t working， you have the power to adjust your attitude and change your life.
Think of your attitude as the remote control for your television set. If the program you are watching doesn‘t do anything for you， then you simply grab the remote and change it. You can adjust your attitude in much the same way when you aren’t getting the results you want， no matter what challenges you encounter.
Linda， a music teacher， wrote and described how her amazing attitude helped her overcome a childhood accident that easily could have ruined her life. She was only halfway through grade school when she was severely injured in a car accident. Linda spent two and a half days in a coma， and when she regained consciousness， she could not walk， talk， or eat.
Although doctors feared she would be mentally impaired and never able to speak or walk normally， her mind， speech， and body gradually recovered. In fact， Linda‘s only remaining medical problem from the horrible accident is a damaged right eye that has only limited vision.
This woman suffered incredible pain， endured many operations， and still has impaired eyesight. She could easily feel victimized and bitter. You could hardly blame her for taking the attitude that life has treated her unfairly. Instead， this is the attitude she chose：
“Sometimes I am frustrated that my eyes don’t work in perfect unity with each other，” she wrote to me. “But then I remember where I came from and where I could be， and realize God saved me for a reason—to live as a witness to His work in my life. My eye is a reminder from God that I‘m not perfect， but that’s okay； I need to depend fully on Him for my strength. God chose to show His power through the weakness of my eye—though I am weak， He is strong.”
Linda chose to accept her imperfect vision as part of God‘s “perfect plan for my life，” she wrote. “He changed my attitude toward life—I know that mine may very well end at any moment， so I’m trying to live for Him all the time. Also， I try to always put a positive spin on everything， try to give my all to God and others， and truly care about the people around me.”
Instead of focusing on her limited vision in one eye， Linda chooses to be grateful that she is able to think， speak， walk， and live a normal life in most ways. You and I have the ability to choose our attitudes just as she chose hers.
You don‘t have to be a saint to do that. When you experience a tragedy or a personal crisis， it’s perfectly normal and probably healthy to go through stages of fear and anger and sadness， but at some point we all have to say： “I‘m still here. Do I want to spend the rest of my life wallowing in misery， or do I want to rise above what has happened to me and pursue my dreams？”
Is it easy to do that？ No， it is not. It takes great determination， not to mention a sense of purpose， hope， faith， and the belief that you have talents and skills to share. But Linda is just one example of many， many people who’ve shown what it‘s possible to overcome with a positive attitude. The age-old， time-proven， undeniable truth is that you and I may have absolutely no control over what happens to us， but we can control how we respond. If we choose the right attitude， we can rise above whatever challenges we face.
You likely will have no control over the next big bad bump in your life. A hurricane hits your house. A drunk driver crashes into your car. Your employer lays you off. Your significant other says， “I need space.” We are all blindsided from time to time. Be sad， feel bad， but then pull yourself up and ask， What’s next？ Once you‘ve whimpered awhile， vented， or shed all the tears in your tank， pull yourself together and make an attitude adjustment.
POWERING UP
You can change your attitude and change your life without taking a pill， seeing a shrink， or trekking to a mountaintop to consult a guru. So far in this book I’ve been encouraging you to find your purpose， to have hope for the future and faith in the possibilities for your life， and to love yourself as you are. Those attributes will give you a strong foundation and reason for optimism， which is the power source for adjusting your attitude， much like the batteries in your television remote control.
Have you ever known a successful， fulfilled， happy person who is also a pessimist？ I haven‘t. That’s because optimism is empowering—it gives you control over your emotions. Pessimism weakens your will and allows your moods to control your actions. With an optimistic outlook， you can adjust your attitude to make the best of bad situations. This is sometimes described as “reframing” because while you can‘t always change your circumstances， you can change the way you look at them.
At first， you may have to do this consciously， but once you practice it for a while， it becomes automatic. I am on tour constantly with my caregivers， and in the early days of my speaking career， when a flight was canceled or a connection missed， I had trouble controlling my anger and frustration. Finally I had to face the fact that when you travel as often as we do， there will be problems. Besides， I was getting too old to throw tantrums， and they sort of lose their effectiveness when you can’t really stomp your feet.