–The series- –The series- Introduction Net positive. Your attitude is your choice. -You are here. Expect nothing. Do your best.
Your attitude is your choice! Your attitude is contagious! Camp North Star, Maine
Short story
This was one of the big mottos at the summer camp I worked at in Maine, America. You don’t always get to choose your situation or your thoughts, but you do get to be in control of how you respond to them both. Not only that, but how you choose to be will absolutely affect others choices too, on the large and the small scale.
Long story
Through the summers of 2013, 2014 & 2015 I had a brilliant time at Camp North Star in Maine; a green pine needle-strewn state in the US. I was ignorantly ill-prepared for the early morning cold and the occasional rainy thunderstorm, thinking my summer was to contain endless sun and warmth!
What it was every now and then:
“I’m on holiday…”
What happened more than I had bargained for:
“I’m on holiday…”
Part of camp culture was about cultivating a positively charged bubble where the outside world almost ceases to exist for a while, and your whole life is at this welcoming, friendly, encouraging commune. Unless you’ve spent time at camp (either working or attending) it could be difficult to grasp and accept the concept but trust me, it’s an awesome feeling.
In the evenings before dinner, Camp Meeting would be held at the campfire circle. This was an important part of the daily routine. There are hundreds of people at camp and you are all scattered throughout the day, so information could become gossip if it weren’t for this time to come together again. Aside from logistics, it would be a time to share the cool events of the day, goof about, sing a song or two and generally have a sweet time.
A tradition for one of the first meetings was to learn this motto, Summer Camp Style! One of the lifelong campers with a distinct talent for being able to roar this mantra, lead the camp from saying it,
“My attitude is my choice. My attitude is contagious.”
and shouting it,
“MY ATTITUDE is MY CHOICE. MY ATTITUDE is CONTAGIOUS.”
through to feeling it, as loud as possible with all of our bones.
“MY ATTITUDE IS MY CHOICE. MY ATTITUDE IS CONTAGIOUS!”
…
A few hundred people shouting, at the top of their lungs, a way to be…
Needless to say this motto stuck with me, at time consciously and at others in subtle ways. While it has been written about before, it is a bit of a strange concept to know that you are in charge of the attitude in your head and one which, surprise surprise, requires ongoing practice.
Through the great times and the sour times, you have to remind yourself this motto. That only you can can respond to thoughts and moments which are happening. Never mind what others are grumbling about, you’re the driver of your attitude and by driving a certain way, you just might influence others to drive similar to you!
As social creatures we are deep-wired to feed off of others around us. That’s why it’s said that “You are the sum of your friendship group”, and that there is advice to “Surround yourself with the company you want to be like”. Well, you have a part to play in that too, because as much as you will be influenced by your close circles, your attitude is also contagious.
“That was cool”.
Quick exercise for you. Take a moment to think of an example when you have been out and about and have seen someone doing something that gives you that little jolt of joy/ reignites your faith in humanity/ makes you feel stoked about the day just by seeing that action happen.
Got one?
I know that for me it can be from many things, but seeing someone enjoying their cool, customised bicycle or unashamedly wearing something that expresses their personality (Spider-Man backpack anyone?) gives me that “Hell yeah!!” feeling.
Try telling me this guy wouldn’t put a smile on your face!
Your attitude is contagious.
If I see a skateboarder, someone cruising on their bike, someone giving a high 5, a kid with a super-hero hat on, someone wearing jazzy clothes, people dancing/singing without a care, or even someone smiling at me, I feel a little bit better about my day knowing that they’re spreading the joy through their own choices.
Lifestyle attitudes.
Your attitude is not just about having a cool time though. It is about your day to day decisions which make up you. What time you choose to wake up every day. The food and drink you choose to prepare and consume. What you do for work. What you do in your leisure time. Which books or media you choose to read, or if you choose not to. Where and how you shop. How you get around. All of your lifestyle choices have more of an effect than we might realise.
Lets say you choose to say no to the easy, sugary snack devouring through the day. Donuts, pastries, chocolates and the like aren’t your thing and every time they’re offered you politely decline. Perhaps, after seeing this happen 5, maybe 6 times one of your colleagues decides, “Well if she can say no every time maybe I’ve got it in me too”.
Lets say you walk to work (Go you!) and alongside your regular attire, each day you funk up part of your wardrobe. A colourful selection of hats, patches on your backpack, maybe jazzy socks. A teenager on the school commute sees all your funk every day, searches up some of the brands and develops an interest in some outdoor sports & activities.
Lets say you think your job is pretty cool, and even on a day where you’re kinda tired and would rather sleep in then watch movies, you turn up to work on time and greet everyone with a smile because that’s how you choose to be; it’s just your disposition. You become known as the one who always has a smile on their face.
One step further.
Lets really extrapolate right now and imagine a little more extreme butterfly effects of the examples above.
The colleague saying no to sweets has now avoided diabetes and the aggravators of cancer from being able to choose better, more wholesome foods. As such, they have a keener interest in nutrition and are thinking of setting up talks and workshops.
The teenager who saw your backpack brand and now wears patterened socks rock climbs at the weekend, has bought a second-hand skateboard and has his first skiing lessons booked for later this year. His friends however have pursued less adventurous activities, binge at the weekend, and got into trouble with the police for criminal damage one night.
Always showing up with a genuine smile if that’s how you’re feeling may be no big thing to you, but to the gent who has had a tough weekend of family issues and to the lady who feels she cannot cope with the work expected of her, that one smile that they know is coming from you might change their whole day. It might give them the strength to take a breath, consider their situation, then get in control of their attitude even though they cannot control their entire situation.
We don’t know.
The point is that we can’t be sure of the wider repercussions of our existence. Our small actions and choices add up to one big picture. If you take only one thing from this page of rambling, I hope it’s the belief that what we can do is be the best version of ourselves and hope that if that has any influence, it is one of positivity.
Practically all of these lessons end up interlinking, just like the different strands of your life.
When in doubt, two thumbs up, life is good!
Be cool!
Lots of love,
-Frank
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