Attitude

Attitude is Everything!

Sick of hearing it?  Me too, until a particular moment.

A moment several years ago when a high school student was in my “Key Club”.  For those of you that don’t know what Key Club is, it’s run by your local Kiwanis Chapter for High School Students.  Students volunteer for many projects and the chapter I was involved in was focused on helping kids with cancer, leukemia, etc.  We’d go to OHSU in Oregon every year for a talk/presentation to explain what the money was used for that we were raising.  It was a sad experience to hear the youngsters' stories and their families who were living with dis-ease.  

Yet, every year, I’d get back into the car with six (6) students who’d ride with me and I’d ask, “Would anyone like to share what today meant to them?”  Every year, one student would have an ‘ah-ha’ moment and it would forever change their life in a positive direction.  

One year a sophomore boy was in the car and he said, “I have been feeling sorry for myself.  My parents aren’t involved with my school, my family doesn’t talk, we don’t have any money…Why do I care?  Look at these kids.  I have everything compared to them! I feel like sh!t that I’ve been feeling bad about my life."  With tears in his eyes he stated,  "My life will never be the same.”  

He stayed true to his word.  Not only was he different at Key Club, his grades changed.  His life was what he made of it.  Before his Senior year of High School, he came to me during a community project we were doing that summer and asked me, “Mrs. Martin, I’d like to go out for tennis, but I’ve never played before.  They put seniors on the varsity team no matter what.  Do you think I should still go out for tennis?”  “Of course, I said, what’s the worst that can happen?”  He replied, “I could lose every match.”  I asked, “Can you live with that?”  He said, “I think so.”   

He began to play tennis, and he was terrible!  One match, before it started, he found me and was extremely excited.  He’d been practicing a new serve all weekend and couldn’t wait to try it on his opponent in the match.  I assured him I’d be right there watching.  He looked great!  And lost miserably—did not score a point!  Skunked!  After the match, he found me. I didn’t know what to say but before I could say anything he said, “Did you see that?  I was awesome! The serve did exactly what I practiced!  It was amazing, no, I was amazing!”  He was so excited!

He graduated with a full scholarship to San Diego State, California!  As a sophomore he was a down and out teen feeling sorry for himself…Attitude is Everything!!