An Attitude of Gratitude

An Attitude of Gratitude is something we can all have regardless of our circumstances. The events that take place in life are many times beyond our control. However, our attitude towards those events are completely in our control. Have an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE and even the most difficult events will become much more of a joy to overcome! Here is a story I would like to share with you.

     This summer I was bailing hay at the Eternal Warrior Wrestling Camp in Trego, Montana. At first it was hot and dry, my allergies started kicking up as soon as we started moving hey. After a couple hours, the weather took a turn and all of a sudden we were ambushed by the rain. "This sucks...." To add to the conditions, the tall stack of hay at the barn had been mismanaged and had fallen over. "This sucks...."Not only did we have to continue collecting the hay in the fields, but also had to come back to re-stack the hay at the barn, adding about four hours to the labor intensive job. "This sucks....."

      In the middle of all this, I started to think to myself, "Why am I so negative.....?" I realized I was frustrated by things that were beyond my control. I couldn't control the rain, I couldn't control the hay falling, I couldn't control having to work an extended amount of hours. Things were bad and my attitude "this sucks...." was making it worse.  At some point during the day I became conscious of my attitude and started to think of ways to have an attitude of gratitude. Grateful that I could take a break and drink a bottle of water. Grateful that there were delicious PB&J sandwiches. Grateful that I was able to do the stuff, be in Montana, surrounded by many good people. The reality was that things weren't really that bad, and I was making it worse by being negative. Having an attitude of gratitude helped me appreciate the process of working. Rather than just having a positive attitude, but an attitude of gratitude took the focus on what was bad and helped me find the good things of the moment. 

So, have an Attitude of Gratitude. Thank those around you. Appreciate what you get to do even when it's raining and things are falling down, there are always things you can be grateful for. Doing so will only make you stronger and the people around you better. 

Eliot Kelly

El Dorado Hills JiuJitsu

"An Attitude of Gratitude builds Champions!"

90% ATTITUDE

- ATTITUDE -

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home ... or a school. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we do have and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.    

~ Chuck Swindoll & Nancy Harms

Last week we looked at what Vince Lombardi had to say about your inner dialogue and how your attitude changes how you think about yourself. Notice what is being said about attitude here. Attitude is one of the most important things to us because there is always a chain reaction that takes place as a result of your attitude. The cool thing is that you are in charge of your attitude! Similar principles apply to Jiu-Jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu is not so much about what happens but much more about how you react to things. You can get frustrated and quit or you can keep trying. The decision is yours, what kind of attitude will you have today?

Eliot Kelly

El Dorado Hills BJJ

"We Control Our Attitudes!"

YOU CAN ATTITUDE

The word of the month for August is Attitude! Many times our attitude is a result of our what we are thinking. It is important that we check up on how we are thinking about things so that we have an attitude of a champion.

Here is what Vince Lombardi has to say...

- YOU CAN - 

If you think you are beaten, you are

If you think you dare not, you don't

If you like to win but think you can't 

It's almost a cinch you won't 

If you think you are outclassed, you are

You've got to think high to rise

You've got to be sure of yourself

Before you can win a prize

If you think you'll lose, you are lost

For out in the world we find

That success begins

With a fellow's will

It's all in the state of mind

Life's battle's don't always go to the 

Stronger or faster man

But sooner or later, the man who wins

Is the man who THINKS he can. 

                              - Vince Lombardi

It is important to remember that many times our attitude is a result of the people we surround ourselves with. If you notice that the people around you don't have an attitude of a champion, share this with them and help them see that their thoughts need to change. 

Eliot Kelly

El Dorado Hills BJJ

"Always have an Attitude of Gratitude!"