I had a great day yesterday. It began with a breakfast meeting at 7 with the Calgary Counselling Centre where I listened to the fascinating and informative Dr. Scott Miller talk about therapeutic outcomes and the therapy model. It ended at 9:30 pm when I said good-bye to my meditation group and headed home feeling balanced, whole and alive.

It was a great day.

The fact is, the particulars of my day, while important and beneficial to me, are not what made the difference. What made the difference, what always makes the difference, was… Attitude.

Now, let’s be honest here. Leaving my house at 6:30 am is not what I consider fun. In fact, at that moment in time, my desire to stay inside and not enter the foggy morning attitude may have been closer to a tree sloths desire to continue to hang on than to let go and experience the day.Yet, getting to the Ranchman’s Club where the breakfast was held, chatting with other attendees, revved up my energy and put me into, ‘present it and I’ll listen’ mode. And, once Scott Miller began to speak, his enthusiasm, knowledge and humility, combined with ability to share openly and to engage the audience were contagious. I got engaged. Fast. And the rest of my day became a reflection of the energy sparked by Scott Miller’s infectious sparkle. His ‘brilliance’ was catching. And my attitude got me through my day feeling alive and curious about the world around me.

Which got me thinking about attitude. If I had clung to my foggy morning soggy awareness outlook, I would not have become as engaged and excited about my day. Letting go of ‘ho hum, it’s just another early morning free breakfast’ thinking and moving into, what can I learn, how can I grow, where can I expand made a difference.

Sure, it helped that the first meeting was filled with exciting engagement. But, more than anything, what helped me move out of foggy morning into sunshiney gratitude for the wonder of the world around me really was based on my willingness to enter my day open and curious about what I’m encountering, learning, seeing, experiencing. My openness to discover meaning in my day created a day of discovery.

Attitude makes a difference.

Ask yourself this morning, or at whatever time you’re reading this, What’s my attitude? Is it making a positive difference in my day?

Am I… open to discovery? Am I carrying thoughts of sleep clinging to my wishful thinking like a barnacle clinging to a whale? Or, am I open to discovery? Am I willing to let go of ‘been there, done that’ thinking and move into ‘here I am, engage me’ thinking?

Think about it. Whether you enjoy what you’re doing, or not, is a thought that will either keep you feeling down and out or up and at ’em.

Which will you choose?

What are you willing to do today to create a world of wonder all around you?

Namaste