I say this to my brother all the time when he is angry. It makes him laugh, nullifying his anger. It wasn't until the other night when my brother said the same thing to me that I realized we all have attitudes we probably need to ditch. I thought an example might be useful in this situation... and more specifically I thought I would share with you the 'tude I needed to lose last night.
So I had a fantastic day Thursday! I say this with no hint of sarcasm, no double meaning. It truly was fantastic! My mentor/teacher and I got to sit down and organize her filing cabinet (which to the normal person is a complete drag but I totally enjoy) and we got to talk and laugh and just be with one another. Then I got to have coffee with... well in essence she is my second big sister. In blood, she isn't, but in all things that matter, she is. It was fantastic! We had coffee and we talked and talked and talked and I got to meet her puppy (he is gorgeous)! I went to one of my mentee's talent shows smiling! Then my little one knocks it out of the park with a beautiful song that she not only performed but that she wrote herself! You could accurately label me "impressed." I walked out of her school thinking "Wow God! Did you know how much you have blessed that girl?!?" In fact, it was the kind of day when you can't help but think "God you have surrounded me by beauty, you spoil me so very much, and it delights my heart! You are captivating and simply amazing!"
And then I came home. My mom was tired and, as is sometimes inevitable for all of us, she decided to take this exhaustion on me. I had asked if we could go to the store to get some dinner and she responded in turn with a snappy comment. Now if you have ever had a really good day only to encounter someone who totally brings you down, you understand how quickly I responded in turn. It truly is like someone poking a hole in your balloon. However, as we spent more time together (and my balloon grew more deflated) my responses became more and more hostile. Then my responses towards my sister and brother also became hostile, until finally my brother said "lose the 'tude, dude."
You've probably heard this before but let's reiterate it: you can't control what (or who) happens to you, you can only control you and what your attitude will be. We all have good days, bad days, and good days gone bad but we cannot use this as an excuse anymore. I want you to think about this, does having a bad attitude really make your life any better? Or does it proceed to make you more miserable? Does it improve the lives of those around you? Living a bold life means that you have to proactively remove those attitudes that make you miserable. So lose the 'tudes, dudes and let life begin!
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