Altitude And Attitude

You are not a stranger to the popular saying that your attitude determines your altitude. There is no doubt that altitude and attitude are related to each other. But could it be the other way as well? Could your altitude – the social and economic level at which you operate – also not determine your attitude? I am sure you know a few rich people who are unbearably arrogant.

Try as you may, you cannot find a way to get along with them. Yes, altitude and attitude operate in lockstep as God showed me through a recent post. A good friend of mine forwarded the clip in the post to me. It was only later that I discovered she had not viewed the entire clip. I do not usually have time to open and watch every clip that I receive but this title intrigued me.

Find time to watch the clip was of the award ceremony by the AIS. I watched because I need to know the meaning of AIS. It turned out it was the American Institute for Stutterers. Who knew? There is an entire institute for people who stammer. The awardee originated from a third-world country but his profile read like the Guinness Book of records in Pediatrics. And this man had gained an altitude and attitude that inspired others.

When it was his turn to respond, he showed how he had mastered the condition that is classified as a disability. He spoke slowly and hesitated delicately at the point where the stammer was about to emerge.  I found that very inspiring, nothing short of brilliant. He had reached such a height because of his attitude. But even more inspiring was that he referred to his stutter as a gift. A gift?

The Relationship Between Altitude and Attitude

It hit me that right there was the relationship between his altitude and attitude. However, I did not think of sharing it as part of our positive problem series until later. I responded to my friend who shared the post and quoted that inspiring attitude. In no uncertain terms, she corrected me that stammering is classified as a disability. That got me thinking. This man, being a pediatrician, knew that but chose to view his ‘disability’ as a gift.

Right there was the attitude that ensured he was getting an award. This man demonstrated there is a direct relationship between altitude and attitude. My friend knew we are on this journey of praying about negative situations for only so long. Our thesis is that after you pray and God says no, it is time to accept and embrace the challenge. She might have therefore concluded that I was saying stammering was a gift to make it fit into our thesis.

I pointed out to my friend that I was quoting the man, not saying it for myself.  That was when I discovered that she had not watched the entire clip before forwarding it to me. Perhaps she went back and watched the entire video before agreeing with me that it was a quote.  And that is the reason we are sharing it with you. Because we see clearly that altitude and attitude work in tandem.

What mindset do you have about your situation? Is it positive, in which case, nothing can stop you? Or do you whine and moan about your so-called disability instead of viewing it as a gift? Then, you do not need an enemy to defeat you. You have defeated yourself. Both your altitude and attitude will remain in the basement of life.

But It Does Not Have To Be That Way

You recall how we said in an earlier post that Paul did not let his thorn in the flesh stop him. He developed a positive attitude about it and went on to write 66% of the New Testament. Perhaps today is the day you will start to rise. Watch the clip again and let it inspire you to start viewing your challenges through positive eyes.

We have examples in the bible of people who viewed challenges as positive and overcame those problems. In a later post, we shall consider that account. Perhaps your problem has never been your moth-in-law or whoever you thought was keeping you down and back. Your altitude and attitude may have both been the real enemy. Today could be the beginning of a new thing in your life as you embrace problems. Give it a try. What have you got to lose?

Maranatha!