Somebody said to me yesterday, “you’re always in such a great mood.”
To which I replied, “I have my moments, but there’s one thing we always have control over and that is our attitude”.
Today, my statement was put to the test!!
This morning, I was extremely tired and everything in me wanted to sleep rather than work out. I even laid on the couch for five minutes with the dogs which I NEVER do in the morning.
I did my workout, and I had an OK attitude, but I got to thinking about this word “control”.
If you only take away ONE THING from this article, let it be this...
Your words will create your life.
Because of this, I analyze the words that I use to determine whether or not I truly believe what I’m saying to be accurate.
So I got to thinking about this word “control”.
I didn’t know if it was the right word to use in that statement.
The definition of control is, “the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events”.
Did I have the power to influence my attitude and behavior?
It is certainly something that we all have inside of us… but was I able to tap into that power strong enough to influence myself to have better than an “okay” attitude?
I’ll be honest.
I was feeling defeated, tired, and weak.
And it was upsetting me because… well, I don’t know a single person that likes to be any of those things.
Even though my attitude was OK. I did not feel like I had control. I didn’t feel like I had the “power to influence” myself in that moment…
I felt more like I was doing my best to MANAGE my attitude and not cry or punch something…
A side of Erin that doesn’t show up often and most don’t see…
Sarit was cheering me on and, for the first time ever, I didn’t want her to.
She doesn’t know this but (I would tell her anyway) I was more annoyed by it.
Because she kept saying “good job”, “you’re doing great!”.
But I didn’t feel like I was doing a good job.
Not because I’m not strong or athletic, but because I wasn’t doing a good job at having control of my attitude as well as I could.
Has somebody ever told you that you look great, and because you didn’t feel like you looked great, it felt like they were lying to you?
Or you considered that maybe they could be lying to you?
The reason for this is because your opinion of you is the opinion that will always matter the most. All the time.
And this is why confidence is so crucial. This is why knowing who you are and what you stand for is so pivotal in the quality of your life.
WHO ARE YOU??
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN?
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?
WHAT/WHO DO YOU WANT TO BECOME?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND?
People will always have an opinion about you or always have something to say about the way you do something or how you look, who you’re friends with, where you hang out, what you like to do, what clothes you wear, and whatever else.
GET TO KNOW YOOOUUU!!!
Back to what I was saying…
I believe that a better phrase in response to that person's comment about me always being in a good mood would be that we always get to CHOOSE our attitude.
The definition of the word “choose” is “to pick out or select (someone or something) as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives”.
The GOAL is to be able to have full control of (power to influence) our attitudes.
There will always be unexpected things that feel like they’re interrupting your mojo…
But the truth is, you’re the only one who has the power to let things interrupt your mojo.
You are a boss!
…A super hero!
…The ruler of your life!!
Take that control!
Own that control!
YES, I’M YELLING!!
Many people don’t take and own that control because it’s the biggest responsibility of them all… YOURSELF.
You travel the road to happiness when you accept that YOU (and nobody else) is responsible for your life… your attitude… your actions, reactions, and responses.
The more you deny responsibility of your attitude and decisions, the further you get from having control of your life.
RESPONSE-ABILITY
(The ability to respond)
No ability to respond (no responsibility) means you’re helpless…
You can’t respond.
When I finished my work out, Sarit asked me if I had a good message and immediately I said no.
Less than half a second after I said no, I knew that was the wrong answer.
I knew I had a message, but I was too busy pouting to share it…
And truthfully, I didn’t feel right sharing what I was currently struggling with.
So I immediately took responsibility and wrote this article to give you this message.
Why?
That is my purpose.
To help you overcome the things that hold you back… when you might not even know they’re holding you back.
I also recorded a YouTube video in case you’d like to go watch that too.
Today I take responsibility for my life… my attitude… my actions, reactions, and responses… and I encourage you to do the same.
It’s one day at a time.
What will you CHOOSE today?
Comment on this article if there is something about your attitude that you know you can change immediately and take responsibility for.
Much love,
💜E
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