I had to master the ability to adjust my attitude about travel interruptions. Now when we are forced to sit for hours in airports or need to abruptly change plans， I avoid stress， frustration， and anger by focusing on a positive interpretation of the negative event. I fire up optimistic thoughts such as： Our flight was delayed because of bad weather. That‘s good， because we’ll have a safer trip if we wait out the storm.
Or： They canceled our flight because of mechanical problems. I‘d rather wait here on the ground for a good plane than be up in the air in a bad one.
I’d still rather have a smooth trip than a bumpy one， but the alternative to adjusting my attitude was to dwell on the negative， and that‘s just not healthy. When you allow circumstances beyond your control to determine your attitude and actions， you risk plunging into a downward spiral of hasty decisions and faulty judgments， to overreacting， giving up too soon， and missing those opportunities that always—always—appear just when you think life will never get better.
Pessimism and negativity will ensure that you never rise above your circumstances. When you feel your blood boiling due to negative thoughts， tune them out and replace them with more positive and encouraging inner dialogue. Here are examples of negative versus positive thinking to help you monitor your own inner voices.
Negative Positive
I will never get over this. This too will pass.
I can’t take this anymore. I got this far. Better days are ahead.
This is the worst I‘ve ever had it. Some days are harder than others.
I’ll never find another job. One door is closed， but another will open.
A HEALING ATTITUDE
My friend Chuck， who is forty years old， learned last year that the cancer he‘d fought off twice while in his twenties had reappeared. This time the tumor was so wrapped around vital organs that doctors could not go after it with radiation. The prognosis did not look good—in fact， he was in serious trouble. As a husband and father with a huge circle of family and friends， Chuck had purpose. He also had hope， faith， and self-love working for him. So he adopted the attitude that he was not about to die. In fact， he took on the attitude that while there was sickness inside him， he was not a sick person. He was determined to remain upbeat and positive and focused on moving ahead with his life.
At this point， no one would have described Chuck as a lucky guy， right？ Yet the very fact that radiation was not an option turned out to be good luck. You see， Chuck’s doctors in St. Louis were taking part in a testing program for an experimental cancer drug that does not use radiation. Instead， this drug targets individual cancer cells and kills them. Since traditional treatments were not suitable for Chuck‘s tumor， he was eligible for the experimental treatments， but what convinced doctors that he should be in the program was his positive attitude. They knew he would make the most of this opportunity， and he did.
While the experimental cancer drug was being injected in his system through an IV tube， Chuck didn’t take it lying down. Instead， he ran on a treadmill. He lifted weights. His attitude was so positive and his energy so high， Chuck had trouble convincing some of the hospital staff that he really belonged on the cancer treatment floor. “You just don‘t look or act like our normal patient，” they said.
A few weeks after receiving his experimental treatments， Chuck met with his doctor. The doctor told him that something strange had happened. “I can’t find any sign of the tumor，” he said. “It‘s gone.”
Doctors couldn’t say whether it was the experimental drug， or Chuck‘s attitude， or a miracle， or a combination of all three that defeated the tumor. All I can tell you is that Chuck walked out of that hospital free of cancer and strong as a bull. Despite all indications that he was facing death， he chose a positive attitude and focused not on being sick but on his purpose， on hope， on faith， and on the conviction that he could be of benefit to others.
PICK A’TUDE
Notice that Chuck and Linda both chose attitudes that allowed them to rise above difficult circumstances， but they chose slightly different types of attitudes. Linda chose to be grateful rather than bitter. Chuck chose to take action rather than giving up. There are many attitudes to choose from， but I believe the most powerful are：
1. An attitude of gratitude
2.An attitude of action
3. An attitude of empathy
4. An attitude of forgiveness
1. An Attitude of Gratitude
This is the attitude that Linda unleashed to deal with her injuries from the auto crash. Instead of mourning what she‘d lost， she expressed gratitude for what she’d recovered and the life she‘d built. I’m a big believer in the power of gratitude. In my speaking I often refer to my little left foot. I do that to put my audiences at ease because they can see my unusual appendage. I joke about it， but I have learned to be very grateful for it. I use it to control my wheelchair joystick， to type on a computer at more than forty words a minute， to play music on my keyboards and digital drum set， and to operate all the applications on my cell phone.
The attitude of gratitude also attracts people who share your enthusiasm and support your dreams. Sometimes these people have the power to inspire you and to change your life in amazing ways. My mum often read to me as a child， and one of my favorite books was The God I Love. I was about years old when she first read it to me. At that time I didn‘t know of any other person born without arms and legs. I had no role models who looked like me and had the same challenges. This book， which I still think of often， inspired me and helped build the foundation for an attitude of gratitude because it was written by Joni Eareckson Tada.
