A Positive Attitude
It was necessary for me to get blood work; so, arriving at the Lab, I took my number and had a seat. When I finally signed in, I was delighted to recognize the young man at the desk whom I’d seen before. Returning to my seat, I shared my pleasant discovery with my husband, “This guy is so good. I don’t mind him taking blood at all.”
When the tech called me back, I sat down and said, “I’m so glad you’re the one taking blood.”
“That sounds so good for my ego!” he said laughing. “I need a raise!” With that, he cleaned the area he was about to poke, pulled the skin tight, inserted the needle, and like before, painless.
I am amazed at the difference in pain level and discomfort when needing to have blood drawn, and the person drawing it, is less than efficient and careful! There have been times when the probing and poking have left me with an awful bruise!
Life is like that sometimes. We have a situation where the comfort level should be horrific, but because of those around us with positive attitudes, even the horrific is bearable; kind of like the water going over the Falls that is contained with the defined boundaries. The opposite of this happens when something which should amount to very little stress, becomes stressful, tedious, filled with undue pressure and anxiety, all because a person feels the need to complain, find fault, and over dramatize the situation, which is what the water would look like should that dam pictured, break.
Once when my husband had to have surgery in Baltimore, the thought of driving there and back terrified me, not to mention the state of my nerves because of the surgery. Some dear friends offered to not only drive, but stay with me the entire day. I was overwhelmed at their kindness. What could have been a day of pure torture, turned out to be much less stressful.
An example of the opposite of this situation might be when planning a family dinner, and have guests (family) who choose to do nothing more than find fault with every other family member, whether present or not. It can spoil what should have been great sharing of memories and excitement over possibilities, in the coming weeks and months. Instead of relaxing, those present, end up feeling defensive, stressed and even sometimes offended.
Our attitudes determine how we will respond to a person, conversation, idea, or even an object. While our emotions surface, often immediately, through body language or facial expression, our cognitive response is dependent on how or what we believe about the subject. Our specific attitude, often influenced from our experiences, observations and environment will then determine our behavior regarding the issue at hand.
Even when we have formed and held attitudes since our childhood, they can be changed through education. Sometimes lack of knowledge can be detrimental to attitudes, largely because we haven’t been able to see the whole picture, or from a cultural standpoint or even from geographical differences. Several examples of this includes the woman’s right to vote; equal opportunity for education or the work place; or even slavery and civil rights, an issue in the forefront of the news again. The attitude is often based on what has always been, or accepted, not necessarily on what is right!
Often attitude is a choice. I challenge you to look at your world today and choose to make it as pleasant as possible for strangers, those you hold dear and for yourself. Be positive! Be kind and pleasant. When you can do this, your heart will be a lot happier (not to mention the recipient’s heart!), and your response will show it!