Attitude

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.

William James
US Pragmatist philosopher & psychologist (1842 - 1910)

Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.

Edith Sitwell, Taken Care Of ,1965English biographer, critic, novelist, & poet (1887 - 1964)

According to the American philosopher, William James, one of his greatest psychological discoveries was that, through a mental act of conscious Will and a lot of Discipline, one can change and become or achieve that which is desired.

The cliché most often heard in self-help circles is “Attitude is Everything” and, more often than not, this cliché is right on the mark.

How do you approach life?

What is your manner?

Do you have a point of view or a belief system?

Attitude is a way of behaving.

When you walk in a room are you hesitant or does the room “light up” by your mere presence?

As mentioned above, William James claimed this capacity to change one’s disposition through an act of Will and creating good habits his greatest legacy. We are the “captains of our own ships”, and what we do and how we respond to the world is who we are…and it comes down to attitude.

The famous French Existentialist, Jean Paul Sartre, once wrote:

“It is not what people do to you that matters, it’s what you do to people who do things to you that matters.”

Have a stance regardless of the crowd’s opinion and hold your position.

We can change if we really WANT to change. If you prefer to wallow in your negativity because it defines who you are, then don’t change. Freud believed that most of us need at least one neurosis just to get by.

I love to be around people who have attitude, positive and strong opinions, a manner that inspires great things merely by being in their presence.

In closing, one of my favourite quotes:

The overman...Who has organized the chaos of his passions, given style to his character, and become creative. Aware of life's terrors, he affirms life without resentment.

Friedrich Nietzsche