Word of the Month: Attitude

at·ti·tude /ˈadəˌt(y)o͞od/, noun: 1. state of mind, behavior, or conduct regarding some matter, as indicating an opinion or a purpose. “Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz, 1937 – “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” Albert Einstein, 1879 – 1955 “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” Khalil Gibran, 1883 – 1931 2. position of the body, suggesting a particular thought, feeling or action. “When a woman puts on a heel, she has a different posture, a different attitude. She really stands up and has a consciousness of her body.” Christian Louboutin, 1964 –  

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 failures, 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. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes. By Reverend Charles Swindoll

The Dictionary Project would like to thank Bob Pityo, member of the Rotary Club of Cedar Grove, NJ for submitting the above article.