Positive Attitude Challenge is Oct. 16th - Oct. 30th

[Bucky]

Day #4 of our 14 day October Positive Attitude Challenge

Everyone keep up the good work with your positive attitudes.   

One of the ways to keep a positive attitude is to not let other people's negativity bring you down.

I know people, and you probably do too, who will be negative and find fault and complain about anything.   They can put a negative twist to anything that is going on. 

I just wonder if someone was brought up always finding fault with things, always complaining, never truly happy with anything, if it's ingrained in them from experiences in their childhood?  Maybe as a child they never had any praise or encouragement, no laughter or fun?  Just because someone has a child doesn't make them good parents.  Unfortunately, some children have to find their own way in life with no positive role models.

Just remember that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile.   

Bucky

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward.  When life is dragging you back with difficulties, just imagine that it's going to launch you into something great."    Words of Wisdom

[SjoGirl]

This "challenge" in and of itself is a very positive thing. Thank you for posting it.

Feel free to see my post in Living Life in Spite of Sjogrens titles what title would you give yourself. Could be a royal title, could be something else, key is to have fun.

[Bucky]

Day #5 of our 14 day October Positive Attitude Challenge

It's day #5 already??  My, how time flies!

I hope there are several of our members who are participating in this Challenge and just not posting.  Don't be shy . . . 

Today's post is going to be short and sweet.  Today, I'd like you to write a compliment or a positive attribute about a person and either secretly leave it for them to find, or directly hand it to the person (it could be a verbal one too, but there's something special about it when it's in writing . . . the person can re-read it, tuck it in their pocket or purse, etc.).

As I've written before, it only takes a few minutes of your time, yet makes a huge impact on the recipient.

Bucky

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."      John F. Kennedy

[Bucky]

Day #6 of our 14 day October Positive Attitude Challenge

I hope you all had a good weekend.   

Was anybody able to give a note to compliment or a note of positive attribute to anyone yesterday?  If you didn't have a chance to do it yesterday, try and do it sometime this next week. 

I made a card for our son complimenting him on the good job he's done on the golf team this year (they had their team banquet last night).

As a teenager, he is so busy with school, sports, work, and friends that sometimes it feels like we're two ships passing in the night.  This little card will just remind him how much he means to us and how proud we are of him.

As a parent, we try so hard to give our son all the tools he will need in life so when the time comes that he's on his own - he will be able to handle life's challenges.   An important tool that we've tried to instill in him is to have a positive attitude - to remind him that not everything is perfect - that there will be successes and failures along the way. 

This year, our son was Captain of the varsity golf team.  I've heard from several parents how he's done such a good job motivating and encouraging the team.  That makes us very proud.

Part of having a positive attitude is having a good time even when you are losing - or being happy for someone else's success.

Bucky

"Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get."  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

[Velcro]

Catching up!  I just sent a text to DH thanking him for all the hard work he has put in the last two years and telling him I can't wait to see him walk across the College Grad stage Friday!

[Bucky]

Velcro - congratulations to your hubby on his upcoming graduation!!  Party at Disney World!!   

[Bucky]

Day #7 of our 14 day October Positive Attitude Challenge

There will be days where it's extremely hard to keep a positive attitude. 

Days when you think, "okay, what ELSE is going to go wrong today?".

Sometimes we adults take life too seriously.  We need to learn to relax and loosen up.  A good way to do this is to laugh.  Laughter is good medicine for us too!

Rent a comedy movie, or watch one online.  Look up some jokes online.  With the vast assortment of all kinds of materials and resources available online - one should have no excuse they don't have anything at home to read or watch.  Youtube can keep you busy for hours!     In fact, we have a Laughter is the Best Medicine thread here on the forum - this is the 2012 one, there's also one from 2011 & 2013, https://sjogrensworld.org/index.php?topic=18408.msg195976#msg195976

Much like crying is a release of good endorphins, laughter is too.

I hope today you will find some laughter in your day.   

Bucky

"Why worry about things you cannot change?  Let go and move on, because LIFE ISN'T WAITING!"     (seen on Facebook)

[Velcro]

Velcro - congratulations to your hubby on his upcoming graduation!!  Party at Disney World!!   

Hee hee!  I told him that if they ask him "What are you going to do now that you graduated?" he absolutely has to say, "I'm going to Disney!"

Thank you.  He's worked hard and I'm very proud of him.

One thing I have learned to do during all this is be grateful and positive about even the teeny tiny things.  Even a small thing can be a positive.  I love to take pictures.  I have probably 10 different little memory cards, and each one is only 2 or 4 gb.  So I constantly have to switch them out and keep up with which ones I have already used.  So I treated myself to a 32gb yesterday!  Should last the whole trip now and maybe a small thing, but anything that removes stress is a positive!

[Bucky]

One thing I have learned to do during all this is be grateful and positive about even the teeny tiny things.  Even a small thing can be a positive.

Exactly!! 

Enjoy your new memory card and have fun taking pictures to your hearts desire.   

Bucky

[Bucky]

Day #8 of our 14 day October Positive Attitude Challenge

Well, we're half way through this challenge.  I was hoping we'd have more people participate - but, that's okay.

IF you are just now reading this thread, it's not too late to join in.   

Does having a positive attitude mean that life is rosy, everything is going well, you have no worries or troubles?  Absolutely not!  It just means that you don't let all the daily challenges of life consume your every thought and actions and drag you down.

Having a positive attitude means trying not to worry about situations you have no control over - for example, the weather.  You hear the weather person on TV tell of storms coming.  You can't stop Mother Nature when she brings tornadoes, floods, blizzards, droughts, ice storms, etc.  There is absolutely nothing in your power you can do to change the outcome.  BUT . . . . you can prepare for it - which would fall under having a positive attitude.

I can't count how many times I've seen people run to the stores in panic the day of a storm trying to gather supplies they will need.  If possible, everyone should keep emergency supplies in their homes and vehicles.  Keep canned goods and a working can opener in case of power outage, flashlights w/fresh batteries, keep cell phones charged up, have emergency phone numbers written down and available if needed, have bottled water on hand, extra blankets, medicines filled, etc.

Being prepared can help with the stress levels that no doubt creep in when you sit and wait to see what happens when the storms of life threaten us.

Some people, like my husband, always dwell on the gloom and doom of everything.  What will happen if we lose power for days, what will happen if we get snowed in and he can't get to work, what will happen if _______ (fill in the blank)? My take on it all is for us to be as prepared as we possibly can BEFORE the situation, and IF it happens, we'll deal with it then - so much precious energy (and to a Sjoggie, spoons) can be wasted worrying about the "what if's" in life.

Keeping a positive attitude means taking each day, one day at a time.  Taking the words, "I can't" out of your vocabulary and doing what you can and not beating yourself up because you can't do what you use to do. 

Bucky

"Embrace flexibility - stay light on your feet and ready to re-invent, improvise and adapt.  Darwin said, "It's not the strongest of the species who survives, or even the smartest; it's the one who can adapt to change." "                Gail Blanke

[Deb]

Man, I am just reading this thread now...so I am joining in because it has been a really really rough year for me and my husband and I need to get back to the "positives" in life!!

For me it is the little things in life.  My friends that show up at the right time, my children just dropping by to say hi, a nice message on facebook. Every day I look for a miracle.  It could be a beautiful sunny day, the color of the trees, things like that.

I also like to give back.  Just the other day I thanked TWO friends for being there when I needed them the most.  I put my ego away and asked for help and without a hesitation I got it.  I LOVE my friends and THAT is my miracle for today!!

[Bucky]

For me it is the little things in life.

I agree!  It doesn't have to be some great big grandiose, life changing event - it's the little, warms-your-heart kind of things.

Bucky

[Bucky]

Day #9 of our 14 day October Positive Attitude Challenge

Good morning - it's another brand new day - I hope it's a good one for you.

When you think of the word, ATTITUDE, what does that mean to you?

According to Wikipedia:  An attitude is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, thing, or event (the attitude object). Attitude can be formed from a person's past and present. Attitude is also measurable and changeable as well as influencing the person's emotion and behavior.

In lay language, attitude may refer to the distinct concept of mood.

Have you ever known someone who has been told they need an attitude adjustment? (I've known some teenagers who have been told this before.) Perhaps the person has a chip on their shoulder.  They can be rude and say unkind things and think the world revolves around them.

When a person is like this they might be told to improve their attitude or don't bother coming back to school, work, sports team, or other function they might be attending.

What kind of attitude do people see in you?
 
Your attitude determines most of what you experience each day.

Be someone who you would want to be around.

Bucky

"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference.  The little difference is attitude.  The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."   W. Clement Stone

[Bucky]

Day #10 of our 14 Day October Positive Attitude Challenge

I'm betting that the vast majority of people have at some time in their life ridden on a roller coaster (or at least watched one).   The cars climb a tall hill only to plunge down a steep hill on the other side.  These cars go up and down, up and down hills with twists and turns added in along the way.

Our daily lives are much like a roller coaster.  They can be full of many ups and downs of our attitudes.

This is the scenario for the last seven days at my house:

Furnace acting up Wed, Thurs., Fri. - negative
Saturday, call to schedule a serviceman - positive
Furnace quits Monday night - negative
No heat for the night - negative
Serviceman comes on Tuesday - positive
Furnace is old, parts are hard to come by - negative
Serviceman has motor that will get us heat until Thursday - positive
New furnace coming Thursday - positive
Miss day of work since serviceman is coming - negative
Thursday - new furnace takes 12 hrs. from start to finish to install - negative
Dinner is 2 hrs. late waiting on serviceman to finish up - negative
We eat - positive
We offer Serviceman dinner - he accepts and eats - positive
We have heat and new furnace - well worth the ups & downs of the last 7 days

This is what life is about  . . . ups and downs.  It's how we handle the ups and downs that make the difference.

Bucky

"There are times when a person can be justified in their negative attitude - just as long as you don't dwell on it and get stuck there."   (author ? - oops, forgot to write it down  )

[Katybarstool]

Bucky

That certainly was a roller-coaster weeek. Well done you for feeding the service man - it must have been a frustrating week for him too.

Kathy