Is anxiety pressing in all around you?
Anxiety and attitude are closely linked.
Actually, they have a chicken-and-egg relationship with one another.
Let’s look more closely…
Stuff that happens in life can be placed into one of two categories:
(1) things we control, (2) things we don’t
Knowing where the line is drawn makes for a huge difference in life.
When I try to control that which I am not in control of, anxiety mounts. My attitude in turn is intricately woven in this tapestry of tightly-bound threads.
So, here is the question:
How do you respond to situations in which you have no control over?
Feel stressed? Tense? Maybe??
Answer this “The One Question Test“:
When you are in traffic, do you…
Who has control over the traffic?? NO ONE. This one simple question can diagnose our true ability or lack thereof to handle life’s difficulties.
If you answered A, B, or C …. you may need to adjust your attitude to acknowledge the realities around you that you do not control. Your anxiety level will blissfully plummet.
The Scriptures tell us over and over that there will be struggles in this life. In these times, we must persevere with faith … not control, constrain, or repair. (John 16:33; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Peter 3:8-22)
So, breathe. Let your shoulders relax. Unclench your jaw. Smile!
Closing quote by Charles Swindoll…
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, 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.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past…
We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we 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.”
Posted by Sharon R. Hoover
Angry guy photo credit: quapan via photopin cc
Cell phone photo credit: Indiana Stan via photopin cc
Man in truck photo credit: twocentsworth via photopin cc
Friendly guys photo credit: puck90 via photopin cc
Oh, I liked this. You put it so well. I see this played out over and over in my own life. Thanks for this, Sharon!