Dr. Jim Surrell, Journal columnist

I must tell you that it was a profound learning experience for me when I learned that I can choose my attitude each and every day.

I remain impressed how our individual attitude affects our overall behavior and interaction with our family, friends, and nearly everybody we come in contact with on a daily basis.

Please understand that it is so very, very important for all of us to always recall that our attitude is truly a personal choice that we all choose to make every day..

William James is considered to be the father of American Psychology. He wrote and published his landmark textbook, The Principles of Psychology, in 1890. He was one of the first scholars to recognize how our attitude will significantly impact our daily life. This is the famous William James quote about our attitude. “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”

Perhaps the greatest summary statement on attitude ever put into words was given to us by Victor Frankl (1905 – 1997) who, along with his family, spent years in a Nazi concentration camp. During that time his father, his mother, his brother and his wife did not survive. His classic work, “Man’s Search for Meaning” was first published in Austria in 1946, and then published in the USA in 1959. At least 10 million copies have been sold. Here is his classic quote on attitude: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Further, one of the best discussions of the importance of attitude is found in Hal Urban’s great book, “Life’s Greatest Lessons — 20 things that Matter”. I highly recommend this book. To quote from this great author, “Attitude is expectancy. People who have generally positive attitudes expect the best; people with negative attitudes expect the worst. In both cases, those expectations are usually fulfilled.”

Following are some of my favorite quotes about the importance of the attitude and the thoughts we choose on a daily basis. It is so very important to always remember that we all have the ability to choose our personal attitude each and every day.

≤ “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” — “More quotes by Brian Tracy” Brian Tracy

≤ “Our attitude is often the most important choice we make every day.” Hal Urban

≤ “The way you see things –your attitude — is the most important factor in your success.” — “More quotes by Zig Ziglar” Zig Ziglar

≤ “The most expensive piece of real estate is the six inches between your right and left ear. It’s what you create in that area that determines your wealth. We are only really limited by our mind.” — “More quotes by Dolph de Roos” Dolph de Roos

≤ “Great effort springs naturally from a great attitude.” — “More quotes by Pat Riley” Pat Riley

Here’s the bottom line: “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You can’t go anywhere until you change it.” In this regard, let us all recall that we choose our attitude every day, and let’s all work at choosing to have a daily positive attitude.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of the best-selling SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet book and his new Joke Book, entitled “Laughter Is Good Medicine”. Dr. Jim’s website is sosdietbook.com.