Give Latitude Instead of Attitude

Give Latitude Instead of Attitude dan skognes motivation blogger speaker teacher trainer coach educatorDo you want to have less stress in your life?  Do you want to wake up saying, “Good morning, Lord!” instead of “Good Lord, its morning!?” Do you want to see the cup half full instead of the cup half empty? Well, if you are normal, the obvious answer is “Yes.”

So why do we settle for giving attitude instead of latitude when nothing good comes from giving attitude? There are several reasons I see that we revert to this unhealthy behavior:

  • Insecurity. We are not confident in ourselves so we over-compensate.
  • Fear. We are afraid of the outcome if we don’t assert ourselves.
  • Selfishness. We are more concerned about ourselves than we are about others.
  • Bitterness. When we fail to forgive others that have wronged us, we only hurt ourselves.

When we give latitude to others, it says a lot about who we are:

  • We are people who have learned to control our emotions instead of letting them control us. That is called “growing up.”
  • It shows that we understand what love is all about. Love is patient, kind, understanding, and selfless.
  • Every time we show latitude it helps us grow, and others are blessed at the same time.
  • It means we will live longer, healthier, and happier lives as we detox ourselves of stress.

So, next time you are in traffic and someone cuts you off, what are you going to do? You can let it go and bless them, or you can flip them off and curse them; your choice. Someone said: “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You are not going anywhere until you change it.”

Life is too short to live stressed and depressed. The good news is: all you have to do is flip the switch. You can go from attitude to latitude with a little practice and you will see good things happen as a result:

  • The sun will shine brighter.
  • The air will smell sweeter.
  • Food will taste better. Seriously, when you don’t have an upset stomach from all the stress you are carrying, food tastes great!
  • The future will be something to anticipate with joy instead of dread.
  • You will sleep better.
  • You will have healthier relationships.

Sometimes we feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is a train that is bearing down on us at full speed. Quit worrying; it does no good. Quit stressing; it can kill you. Quit griping about what you don’t have and thank God for what you DO have. Give others what you expect: the benefit of the doubt.

You get to choose how your life will be lived out. Give latitude. You will never regret the blessings that you and others receive.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

One Response to “Give Latitude Instead of Attitude”

  1. Derek says:

    I think this is something many of us have to remind ourselves of on a daily basis. No flip of the switch or magical formula here. Thanks again for the gentle reminder Dan!