CAUTION: Floor Slippery When Wet

Lunch ladies and custodians are some of the happiest people I know. If you ever want a great conversation, find a smiling keeper of the keys and start chatting. One custodian in particular I see at the residence hall where I live has a truly exceptional attitude. Let's call him Jim. When Jim sees me shuffling down the hall he gives out a "Howdy partner!" We might chat for a while or it might be a passing conversation, but the end of our conversations almost always goes the same. I will tell him to "Have a (great/good/phenomenal/insert adjective) day", and he will say "Oh I'm making it!" and gives a deep-throated chuckle.

"Oh I'm making it".

How often do we (I'm convicted of this one too) let our day make us instead of us making our day? There are only a few things in life we can always choose. We cannot always decide our living situation, income, talents, or health, but we can control our faith, attitudes, and beliefs. I would argue what we can control is much more important that what is outside of our reach. Jim has a great day almost everyday, not because he makes millions of dollars or has the best job (although he does get to post those nifty floor-slippery-when-wet signs), but because he chooses to live in joy. As Dale Carnegie puts it: "Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude." Attitude is a choice.

What will you choose today? Every morning when you wake up there is an option. Are you going to decide to reflect joy, or are you going to let what happens to you  change what happens in you? Remember, as Zig Ziglar  said" Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude".

Choose to soar today.

From the Emblem of Washington,
Nathan Daninger