Why attitude is 100%.

What better way to kick off thelifemuse blog for 2010 than by writing about attitude? (rhetorical). 2010. The start of a new era, the new decade, another year. 2010. A time for new perspective, new beginnings, new boundaries, new joys. 2010. A year for new challenges, new highs and new lows. 2010. It’s destined to be as up and down as any other year. Annddd stop.

I don’t want the downs. Why downs? I mean... life is good right? I thought you were supposed to be encouraging, Derek. Well... er... yes... but... But nothing! Well... No matter what I say here... it won’t really change things, would it? =S ... I... guess not. Sorry.. =\. It’s okay...

No matter what I say... it won’t really change anything. Your life. My Life. Everyone’s life. We live by an inescapable fact: Life is filled with ups and downs. Many of them, uncontrollable. The victories, losses, recessions, booms, deaths, accidents and lotteries are in many ways outside of our realm of control and unless you have some extreme foresight, will hit us when we absolutely don’t expect them to.

I’m not sure how 2009 was for you guys... but I’m sure it was filled with many joys and many pains throughout. In fact, I’m sure almost every year of your life has been. Actually... that’s probably how its been since the dawn of existence. Hmm. Being an accountant @ UW has taught me many things... mapping or tracking trends was not one of them, BUT, I don’t quite think it takes a university level brain to trend something... that’s always been the same. My guess? 2010 will be the same as any other year. But that’s only my undergrad opinion on things... Maybe that’ll change once I complete my masters program... who knows??

Without a doubt, your 2010 is bound to be filled with ups and downs. Hey, it might be the year you finally meet ‘the one’. Perhaps you’ll land your dream job. MAYBE YOU’LL FINALLY FINISH SCHOOL. Or maybe you’ll lose a loved one. The economy may collapse, yet again. McDonalds might get rid of their extra value menu (I’m still bitter over the double cheeseburger going up in price!!!! >=( grrrr). And now that I have your attention, there are probably many ways I can take this... I can probably say something like ‘BAD CIRCUMSTANCE... kick it in the bum’, orrrr ‘LIFE... you gotta live it in the FAST lane!’, orrrrr ‘embrace that which BLESSES, not what causes stresses.’ Orrrrrr mmmmm. I’ll just stop there. Each of those, as lame as they are, could in their own right be something I blabber on about incessantly, but all I really want to say to start off 2010... is that attitude is 100%.

Attitude dictates everything. In 2009 I’ve seen how my greatest pains or losses have turned into new opportunities or even victories. I’ve seen how my ordinary has turned into extraordinary. I’ve seen how my lack has turned into abundance, and my mourning into joy and dancing. How? Well allow my friend Barney Stinson to handle that question with one of my favourite HIMYM quotes of all time: ‘you see... whenever I start feeling sick, I just stop being sick and be awesome instead... true story’.

It’s all about your attitude. I think one expectation (rather, illusion) I’ve learned to break in my life is that life was meant to be perfect. Have you ever met anyone who’s gone through life without hitting any giant brick walls, oversized potholes large enough to eat ice-cream trucks or bumps the size of Everest? OKAY maybe I’m exaggerating a tiny bit, but really... has anyone ever told you about their life being easy? Being simple? Being without pain? Not for me! Now allow me to bring in my all star analytical skills, once again, *Ahem*. Will you be the trend breaker? *shakes magic 8 ball under the table* “Outlook not so good...” Er... one more try. *Shake Shake* “All signs point to no...” PLEASE realize that your life is not expected to be perfect. You’re going to hit bumps in the road. You’re going to trip up on the little things when you least expect it. You’re going to run into road blocks. I really don’t mean to be a pessimist, but more of a realist. Unrealistic optimism will eventually lead to a breakdown if you don’t begin with knowing the reality of how life works. THINGS HAPPEN. Good and bad. Accept it. Now, be awesome instead.

Everyone faces joys and pains in life. Some perhaps more joys... and trust me, for us here in North America... there are MANY others who face MUCH more pain in life (i.e. think about the sufferings in other countries). But it goes to show that if ups and downs are consistent amongst all people... it no longer holds any value as a definition of your character. As in, everyone faces ups and downs... we wouldn’t hold it against someone if they won the lottery, but maybe if they rubbed it in our faces. We wouldn’t hold it against someone to feel broken after a breakup, but wouldn’t necessarily want to sympathize if they wanted to sleep around in search of acceptance. How you react and who you choose to be in response to these situations is what dictates who you are. It’s what’s inside you that determines how you act on the outside. It begins with what’s in you: your attitude. You can be a sore loser or a boastful winner. Humble in your victories or optimistic in your losses. Half full, or half empty. It’s YOUR choice.

Your mindset will dictate who you are this decade. How you handle your situation begins with the lens you choose to view the world through. Your 2010 attitude... is yours to control. I know some rough times will be a comin’. But as for me... I’m going to choose to be awesome instead... True story. Your Move.

Let’s assign a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet in order. Coincidentally enough...

P.S. You’ll have to ignore my schizophrenic moment near the beginning. All work and no play make Derek go something something...