vintage essay

Dear Readers:

Norman Vincent Peale states: "Any fact facing us in not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure." I agree with this statement, but I like to couple it with the one by Napoleon Hill that adds the extra dimension that many people forget. Hill reminds us that: "It is always your next move." The crucial word here is move, or in another word, action. Being positive or negative is a good starting point, but it does not win us the race.

The odds are stacked in our favor when we can consistently maintain a positive mental attitude, but the winning cup goes to the people who take the required action in life's race, and put their attitude into motion.

When given an opportunity, do you take the risk? You better, because a person cannot grow without risk taking. Many people are fearful of stepping out and taking a risk that could turn out to be the chance of a lifetime. Rather, they opt for security and miss the life that they could have lived. This is what Henry David Thoreau calls a life of quiet desperation. We all know that the ultimate outcome in each of our lives is death, but the question is not whether we will die, it is whether we will decide to live. And, yes, the decision is ours, and ours alone.

Begin to accept life's challenges, risks, and opportunities as doorways leading to a new and improved life. Sign up for the class you are uncertain will make a difference, attend a dinner that you would rather miss, listen to an audio program outside your area of immediate interest, take a trip with a friend because the friend feels you will enjoy it, even though you don't expect to. Just show up and see what bountiful opportunities the Universe places on your doorstep every single day. It might be a daisy, a cat, a rainstorm, or the newspaper that appears unexpectedly, but appreciate it as it was meant for you. I wonder what risks you will accept today? Could it be that the risk you embrace is really the invitation to a new and improved version of the life you currently live? Why not see what happens by answering "yes" when you would rather say "no." That is the purpose of having a positive mental attitude. Practice saying "yes," and then follow through.

Be Your Very Best Always,

Judy Williamson