"The biggest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude." - William James
I came across this quote a few days ago. This
quote hit me pretty strongly; as in not like a great movie which completely
sweeps you off your feet; rather more like a powerful gush of chilly wind which
makes you wrap yourself closer to your own self.
The quote essentially says- Change your
attitude, you way of thinking and your life will change.
The first thought that came to my mind was
that this seems too simple and too wonderful to be true. And then the other
quote struck me- All essential things in life are simple.
It made me think about a number of things. In
our daily lives, we have to go through many incidents which are not suited to
our preferences. The buses run late, the traffic on the road is much more than
expected, the professor/boss is grumpier than usual, the bills are higher than
expected, friends are busy or immersed in their own worries… in all such
situations, a change of attitude definitely brings a positive difference and
that too immediately.
Smile. Laugh. Enjoy the happy moment.
Or may be you need to cry it out. So do that
and feel better.
Either way, it is much better than feeling
upset or confused or wrought up in feelings.
But then there are tough times. Heartbreaks,
loss of jobs, failures, death of a loved one.
It is much more difficult to swap out of the
misery in such times… the quote might begin to feel distant. But as time
passes, it is much more about attitude than anything else in deciding how that
event will affect our lives. People all over the world have faced failures and
miserable times- some of them have chosen
to come out of it stronger rather than meek and scared and that is why, they
have been able to live a more fulfilling life.
I had a discussion on this quote with my grandmother.
We talked about the many events in which the quote holds true, we also talked
about events in which the quote feels like an ‘easier-said-than-done’ thing.
She told me how after an unfortunate series of events in the family, she became
the sole breadwinner of the family. Things changed overnight as a serious
illness struck my grandfather. She saw the unfolding of those events as a
choice to her- to be strong and learn all that was needed to fight back or to
feel intimidated by the sudden downturns and surrender to destiny. She put her
thoughts in gentle, wise words- “Even if applying the change in attitude seems
difficult in extremely miserable situations, it is very much possible. What you
need to do is practice. Practice living it.”
So give it a try for yourself. Think about
what this quote means.
It doesn’t mean to rush out and try to alter
your life, it’s too big a job. Start easy by practicing altering your attitude,
either when you’re struggling with a situation or when you’re in a great mood
and want to stay there. If someone as brilliant as William James said it, you
and I can certainly be open to the possibility it is true.
P.S. Honestly speaking, I personally trust my grandmother more than William James. So, I totally believe that the quote is true J
