Attitude is Everything

When I woke up this morning I decided I would make today great! Not for a particular reason other than I just wanted to. It was not until I was in the drive thru at a fast food restaurant that I realized attitude is everything. This is something that most would think to be common sense. You’re probably thinking, “well yeah, duh, I already know this”. But no, seriously. I realize that attitude can determine a lot of things throughout our lives but attitude is something that I seem to overlook in most situations. When I was in the drive thru this morning, I was cheerfully greeted by the lady on the other side of the intercom. She welcomed me by saying, “Good morning, how may I help you?” This is the usual for most fast food restaurants but it was different this time. The words were the same but the tone of the lady's voice was genuine and real. She seemed thoroughly excited to be alive and awake this morning! Instantly I began to smile as soon as I heard her enthusiastic voice. I placed my $1.83 order of Cinnabon Delights (they are delicious, try them sometime, completely worth every penny!) and I proceeded to the window to give the spirited lady my money. Just as I had imagined, she was just as friendly at the window as she was through the intercom. She greeted me with a smile and repeated the amount that I owed. I gave her the money and she handed me my little bag of heaven. She told me to have a great day and I responded with a smile and a, “thank you, you too!” Because of this lady's energetic and vivacious attitude, this helped me carry on my optimistic attitude for the day ahead. I truly believe that the woman at the restaurant loved her job and because of that she possibly has brightened the day of everyone who goes through the drive thru. As I proceeded to Starbucks to work on a few things, I had a seat in the corner. An older man named Steve came in the door and instantly was greeted by name by the people behind the counter. He came over and had a seat across from me. Instantly he began having a conversation with me about how often he has seen me at Starbucks (I’m guilty), and he joked with me and told me that as long as I don’t take his seat then we will both be okay. It was obvious he was a regular. As he continuously joked with the folks that were working, we talked about everything from politics to what I planned on majoring in in college. We talked about his years in the Army and at the downtown post office to his dreams of moving down south. We talked about his dogs to beautiful places to go to in Indiana. We talked about his planned vacation with his family and about his retirement. He talked about his grandson who he proudly boasted about and he talked about fishing while listening to all of his tunes on his iPad. Before Steve left he told me to have a great day and he asked me a few questions about FFA. After a few more minutes of talking with others at Starbucks he was on his way out the door to go hunt down a gas cap for his lawn mower. I’m pretty sure Steve doesn’t know a stranger! Steve loves life and he loves people. Whether he’s at Starbucks on his iPad or texting his friends when he’s supposed to be finding a gas cap for his lawn mower because his wife told him to or whether he is meeting new people and striking up conversation with strangers, Steve makes every day a great day with his wise, optimistic and amusing attitude! So what kind of attitude will you have today? Will you let one frustrating or upsetting situation determine the attitude of your entire day ahead? If you forgot your homework, struggled on a test, was told some bad news about an ill family member, had a flat tire, woke up with a cold, didn’t have your coffee this morning, only got a few hours of sleep, or maybe you had no reason but you just woke up in a bad mood out of habit, face the day with a smile on your face! Try to determine your attitude first thing in the morning as soon as you take that first step out of bed, just know that today will be great! Be thankful for every single day of life that you are blessed with! Everyone has had their struggles and no one can absolutely understand what someone else is going through. Do not let the arrogance of others bring you down. “Let your smile change the world. But never let the world change your smile.” Serving with a grateful heart, Brittany Young 2014-2015 Indiana FFA State President