And if you stay positive, you have a shot... -Silver Linings Playbook

Via empowernetwork.com

Tiffany and Pat had it right.  Of all of the lovable, messed up characters in the world, these two had it figured out.

There are a lot of different things that can go wrong in a day, a week, a lifetime.  As the famous quote by Charles R. Swindoll goes, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."  This of course, is always more difficult than it sounds.

I think I learned to stay positive through a few different key teachers on my life.  First, my parents were and are always positive and adaptable people, and I grew up thinking that was the only way to do it.  Later in high school and college I had a lot of opportunities to travel abroad, and during those times in different cultures I learned a lot about broadening my view of the world (and therefore my problems seemed a little smaller).  I also learned a lot about myself and grew a an even higher sense of self-reliance.  As an adult, I have had a few select people in my career that served as the exact type of mentor I needed at a specific time to help me see the value of perseverance and staying positive.  Someone really important once told me that he didn't think that I was dreaming big enough.  Noted.

I have always worked very hard at everything that I do.  I am hard wired that way, but really it is a life coping mechanism.  If I work hard and I do my best, then I know I have done all that I can.  If I stay positive, it is a sense of controlling what I can control by choosing my attitude.  If I didn't do these things, and it didn't work out in my favor, I would always wonder if I could have changed the trajectory.

This methodology has always worked for me, and I refuse to accept defeat.  I own the 90%, and I will not let it own me.  When things get tough, take control of your 90%.