The longer I live, the more I realise the noticeable impact that attitude has on life. Thus, when we go through trials and tribulations of life, the outcome will be determined largely by our attitude.

We cannot change the past and we have very little control of the inevitable. Therefore, the present and the future outcomes are largely determined by our attitude.

I am convinced that our lives are less determined by what happens to us and more determined by how we react to situations.

With a positive attitude all of us have the power to minimise adversities or to turn them into opportunities.

A strong positive attitude is of primary importance in dealing with life challenges. People with positive attitudes have a clear focus, well-defined objectives and enthusiasm for life.

Attitude is our reaction to life’s every day experiences.

It truly is a part of all that we have been, we are and hope to be, all wrapped up in our feelings about work, education and personal relationships.

We, therefore, need to use our energies to bring about positive attitudes, thus empowering ourselves to improve all aspects of our lives — physically, socially and intellectually. Our attitude has a major impact on the destiny of us as individuals and as a country.

George Bernard Shaw, the great English playwright said: “I am convinced that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as I possibly can before turning it over to future generations.”

What a terrific attitude! Can you imagine life ever getting boring, or work getting dull, for a person with an attitude like that?

You can have the loftiest goals; you can have the highest ideals; you can have the noblest dreams; you can have the richest ideas; but remember, nothing works unless you have a clear focus and well-defined objective.

Make a strong commitment to reach the height of your potential as a human being. Decide, once and for all, that you will be the best you can at whatever you set out to do.

Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, once gave this message to his team: “After the cheers have died and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written and after you are back in the quiet of your rooms and the Super Bowl ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live.”

Coach Lombardi was telling his players that they had to have a strong attitude in all aspects of life. Albert Einstein said it far more succinctly: “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”

Life is a series of choices. On a daily basis we have the freedom to choose between good and evil, between love and hate and between hope and despair.

The choice that trumps all choices is attitude. Our life is determined not so much by what life brings to us but by the attitude that we bring to life.

In these difficult times, it is of paramount importance not to despair but to have a positive and hopeful attitude.

We, as parents, educators and leaders need to embrace and encourage our young people to have a positive attitude. It is a positive attitude that determines altitude.