Attitude...To Carry or Not To Carry

There are many people who say attitude is everything - that it is the one differentiator between a successful and unsuccessful person. While this is very good to hear and even say, how many of us have actually seen it in action? Or maybe seen the difference for ourselves? Maybe we have had the chance to observe it but for the most it gets submerged in the walk of life.

Today I read a forwarded email which set me thinking - it gave me a fresh perspective on how attitude can do the trick in the most impossible situations. It is definitely worth sharing here so here goes:

"An old widower in his eighties lived alone in his cottage in a small town. A meagre pension being his only source of money, he lived a frugal life. His only son was in prison for committing some crime.

The cottage had a small plot of land attached to it in which the old man's wife used to grow the best potatoes in town when she was alive. The old man wished to continue the tradition in the memory of his loving wife as also to supplement his income. But he himself was not capable enough to do the digging of soil that was essential to plant the seedlings. One evening, he wrote a gloomy letter to his son in prison.

Dear Son,

Hope you are well. I think of you everyday. As you know I loved your mother very much. I want to grow potatoes in our land just as she used to as I know She would not like this land she loved to be wasted. But it is no longer possible for me to dig the soil the way it is supposed to be done. I know that if you were with me, you would have done this bit for me. But since you are not here, all I can do is sit and wish for the impossible. Hope I see you before I die.

Your loving Father.

The son read this letter in prison and dashed off an immediate reply.

Father,

Do not think of doing ANY DIGGING on our land. That was where I'd buried the RIFLES I'd stolen!

This abrupt letter was intercepted by the authorities before it reached his father and then sent on. The poor confused old man woke the next morning to see a big host of policemen marking off his land and ravaging his land with drillers and other machines. They overran the whole plot before evening but could not find a single rifle. The harassed father wrote his son asking him to explain this charade and the son again sent a reply.

Dear Father,

Am sorry I can't be there to dig the land for you. Our friends from the right side of the law have done us a great help. The land has now been dug up well enough for you to plant as many seedlings as you want. This was the only way I could think of helping you out from inside this prison! Look after yourself.

Your loving son."

While this was just a fictional and simplistic "feel-good" story, it suddenly hit me how important this word "attitude" is. Even when stuck in a seemingly impossible situation, if one has the right attitude, it is possible to get on top of it. Ways and means miraculously (well, not really!) emerge and provide, if not a perfect solution, some solution to the problem.

In organizations today, we usually find 2 kinds of people:

1. The gloomy faced pessimist - this person has the capability (sic) to being down any idea being proposed; to find reasons why most things CANNOT be done and if anything is actually being done, to find small niggling errors or faults in the solution.

2. The proverbial sun like optimist - this is someone who refuses to understand the meaning of "impossible"; one who can see the positive in every situation; who can work out a solution for the most twisted conundrums; one who infuses brightness and enthusiasm into every room he / she enters or forum he / she is part of.

What is the basic difference between both these kinds of people? Yes thats right, ATTITUDE!

While there is no sure fire method to get the correct attitude going for you, I believe it is ultimately within every individual to choose the right frame of mind with which to face the world. To conclude, all I can say is let yourself not be bogged down by anything in life; just run with the conviction that you want to and will get over it.