When I was growing up, specifically when I was around 11 or 12 years old, I discovered that when I work my favorite shirt, I always just had the best day.  And while I kinda lost touch with that as I got older, it has come full-circle as I noticed the same sensation this last year on my birthday.  What my favorite shirt as a child and my birthday has in common isn’t obvious (except for the title of the article), but let me tell you a little more.

Two Abstract Events, One Common Theme

So what does my birthday and the fact that I always seemed to have a good day when I wore my favorite shirt have in common?  One word: attitude.  You see, my life wasn’t really any different on my birthday this past year than any other day.  I typically don’t drum up a lot of attention and my birthday is usually a low-key affair for me.  Neither were my days much different as a kid whether I was wearing my favorite shirt or not.  The only thing that changed was the attitude I carried into the day.

Attitude and Resilience

It’s actually amazing when we stop to think about it, but when we choose an attitude of positivity our lives can literally change completely.  On my birthday this past year it finally clicked for me.  I woke up feeling tired and I would have loved nothing more than to close my eyes for another hour – like so many mornings before.  But instead of repeatedly mashing the snooze button, I just got up – something that never happens.  I spilled milk on the counter (and myself) making breakfast and ultimately found myself running a little late getting going.

Normally all of those things would have soured the start to my day which probably would have carried through the rest of it.  But I didn’t really take note of it.  I just brushed it off and let it fade into the recent past without another thought.  I did, however, take note of how happy I felt because of a simple change in attitude – that it was “my” day and it was going to be a good one.  Life is still happening to me, but it was my choice to see it positively and it became little but a teeny bump in the road that was quickly forgotten.

A positive attitude like you yourself may have on your birthday is the fundamental key to unlocking resilience.  Think about it deeper for a moment, are the people who seem to embody resilience the same ones to come into work telling everyone about everything that sucked about their morning?  Or are they the ones who seem to have all of their crap together, primarily because they don’t seem to sweat every little thing that happens “to them?”

Resilience is the ability to keep getting back on the horse and keep trying no matter what.  And if our attitude allows us to forget about the little bumps, scratches, and bruises – being resilient becomes so much easier.

Attitude (and Happiness) is a Choice

What makes so much sense to me now is that when I wore my favorite shirt back when I was a little bugger, my days were always good because I decided they would be good.  How could it not be, I was wearing my favorite shirt?  On my birthday, there’s an excitement and anticipation for “my day,” whether I make a big deal of it or not, and I ignore the little things that happen any other day.  And you know what, I’m all the happier for it and my birthdays are typically pretty great.

It’s all about where your attitude starts and that sets the tone for the rest of your day – and day-to-day it sets the tone for the rest of your life.

While this is a topic I’ll dive into deeper later, your attitude and however you feel as a result of your attitude is a choice.  This can go either way – to happiness or sadness.  And while your attitude isn’t always under your control, if you can swing your attitude to the positive side of the scale more often than not, brush off the little losses, and be determined to have a good day (and life) – you’ll see yourself happier and with a better life as a result.

Upgrade your attitude and upgrade your life.

Please share if you’ve found this post helpful or inspirational!  Toss me a comment below if you have other great examples where a difference in attitude seemed to change everything.