The other day, while walking through Craig Park, I passed a woman wearing a T-shirt that read, “I have an attitude.” This made me stop and think—what exactly did she mean by that?

According to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the word attitude has several meanings. These include the posture of the body, a feeling or emotion toward a situation, a mental position about a fact, a ballet pose, the position of an aircraft, and even a state of readiness to respond to a stimulus. With so many definitions, which one applied to her?

More importantly, what did she personally mean? An article I once read by an anonymous author may help explain it. The author stated that attitude accounts for 90% of how we respond to life, while only 10% is what actually happens to us. This means that we are in control of our attitude, and with that control comes choice.

Our attitude can influence everything—from businesses and churches to families and daily life. While we cannot change our past, control how others treat us, or avoid unavoidable events, we can control how we react to them. As the author explained, attitude is the one “string” we can always play. Since we can control it, we should not waste energy on the small stuff.
For example, many people find public speaking intimidating. When someone approaches it with fear, they often set themselves up for failure before they even begin.

I know that I sometimes stutter when speaking in front of others, but I have learned that I can reduce this by changing my mindset. Instead of focusing on the fear, I practice my speech and simply do my best. By doing this, I may only stutter a small percentage of the time.
Another example many of us can relate to is making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight—only to break it by the second day. We can either dwell on the negative feeling of failure or choose a more positive attitude. Instead of giving up, we can remind ourselves to take it one day at a time and do the best we can. Losing weight takes time, and one setback does not make us a failure.

In the end, attitude truly matters. When we choose a positive outlook, we give ourselves a better chance to succeed in all areas of life.