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Quote of the Day: Susan Cain

April 28th, 2013

Unhappy people tend to see setbacks as contaminates that ruined an otherwise good thing (“I was never the same after my wife left me”), while generative adults see them as blessings in disguise (“The divorce was the most painful things that ever happened to me, but I’m so much happier with my new wife”)? Those who live the most fully realized lives–giving back to their families, societies, and ultimately themselves–tend to find meaning in their obstacles. Where we stumble is where our treasure lies.

Susan Cain in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

flowering_dogwood
Mr Chiots and I have always said that mistakes and difficulties are often the most valuable things in our lives. Through them, we learn what to do and what not to do. We learn about ourselves and we become more of who we were meant to be. This only happens if we embrace the difficulties and look at them as a learning experience. We often cannot change some of the things that happen to us, but we can change our attitude towards them. It’s amazing how your attitude can make a world of difference.

Have you noticed how easily your attitude affects how you react to certain situations?

8 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Susan Cain”
  1. kristin @ going country on April 28, 2013 at 7:45 am

    I just read that book. It was interesting.

    Attitude is never more important than when parenting. Unfortunately, my older son seems to inspire mostly a bad attitude in me. Fortunately, my attitude is within my control. His, on the other hand . . .

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  2. tami on April 28, 2013 at 7:50 am

    I am always amazed by the power of attitude. If I’m having a bad day and I run into a happy person, they just light me up! I’ve thanked more than one person for turning my day around. Hopefully, I’ve done the same for others

    Reply to tami's comment

  3. Marina C on April 28, 2013 at 7:53 am

    This has been hanging in my kitchen for ever, my kids grew up with this.
    “The longer I live, the more I realize the importance of attitude on life.
    Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
    It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people say or think or do.
    It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.
    It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
    The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
    We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that certain people will act in a certain way.
    We cannot change the inevitable.
    The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our ATTITUDE.”
    Attributed to Charles Swindoll

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  4. whit on April 28, 2013 at 9:18 am

    Amen! This is timely for us, as my daughter just competed in a feis yesterday. She worked so hard dancing 7 dances, and earned one medal. Worried about her reaction, i was quiet. Hoping she wasn’t going to whine…i can understand disappointed crying, but not whining. She was really disappointed, but in the end found positive ways to look at her performance in regard to others.

    Then we get home to her homeschool testing results in the mail, and she’s a ten year old with the mental ability of an 11th grader. She was putting everything into perspective by the end of the evening. :)

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  5. Lemongrass on April 28, 2013 at 5:46 pm

    I was once on the train in Brooklyn,NY heading to Manhattan. On the train was a woman knitting a hat on a pair of circular needles. Because I knit and usually have pleasant conversation with other knitters on the train, I started a conversation about her hat. Her attitude surprised me, she was cold, unfriendly and actually cut me off. Realizing that she did not want to talk I just took out my knitting and started working on a pair of socks, feeling awful inside. I had never felt that way before. By the time I reached the city the awful feeling was still with me and that was 8;45 In the morning. I knew that I could not let that feeling take over my day. Had to do something. So sitting at the back of the M72 bus my; chance came. A mother with two young kids entered the bus, and by they playfull attitude I realized it was their regular ride to school. Heading to the back of the bus the brother got a sit but the sister did not. She was surprise and disappointed at not having a seat. She was about 6 years old. To make matters worse her brother got a sit. I got up and gave her my seat……… was two stops away from getting off. She said thank you, with a big smile and plopped down next to her brother. This was the moment that the awful feeling left. And I never once thought of the knitter. For the rest of the day I carried the picture of that smiling six year old.

    Reply to Lemongrass's comment

  6. Caroline on April 28, 2013 at 10:41 pm

    Without the bad, how can we appreciate the good?

    Hard as the tough stuff is, I try to look back at it all as learning experiences. If my life went “to plan” I wouldn’t have my kids and I can’t even fathom that!

    Reply to Caroline's comment

  7. Matt on April 29, 2013 at 8:23 am

    There’s beautiful tones in the flower photo. Nice work.

    Reply to Matt's comment

  8. Sierra N Hampl on April 29, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    Attitude is everything. If we’d had a different attitude regarding Isaac, we would be very unhappy people and wouldn’t be able to see the joy he has brought to our lives. I believe in taking everything in stride. Sure, grief and sadness are allowed, and come in waves when you least expect it, but we always find a way to work through it and see the positive.

    Reply to Sierra N Hampl's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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