Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

I realized this many years ago as I was first learning to fly airplanes. The “attitude” of the plane is pilot-speak for whether the nose of the plane is pointing up, down, or just flying straight ahead.  The “altitude” of a plane, of course, refers to how high it’s flying. You want the plane flying high enough to avoid such inconvenient obstacles such as trees, mountains, and other planes being flown badly by other pilots and low enough that you don’t get lost in the clouds.

Abrupt changes in a plane’s “attitude,” either up or down, can be disastrous.

It quickly became apparent to me that flying is a perfect description of human behavior. If we get ourselves flying too high – such as having manic or hypo-manic episodes – we may soon lose control and get lost in the clouds. If we fly too low – such as developing dysthymia or depression –  then we can burn out. Both extremes can result in a crash before we realize that a crash is coming.

Our altitude needs to be just high enough to overcome our obstacles. And it’s our own attitude that permits us to do that. Personal Development and Self-Improvement Programs  have been around since the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who is considered by many in modern psychology as one of the original thinkers of coping with life. But his school of thought had it’s rivals. Socrates, Aristotle and other Greek and Roman philosophers competed for students in their schools.

The same is true today, as so many motivational speakers, success gurus and life coaches claim they have the right message to motivate their students. Well, the truth is – they often do! Because nearly everyone we come in contact with can say something that is uplifting and supportive to us. Books, movies, music, poetry – all of it can be supportive and motivating. For a while. But books, movies, music, poetry, gurus, mastermind groups and motivational seminars don’t keep you motivated very long.

Usually, you crash back to earth and revert to old, unmotivated ways. And that’s why so many individuals who have spent thousands of dollars and days upon days attending seminars and meetings may never make any noticeable improvement.

So getting motivated is the easy part. But the hardest and most important part is staying motivated and that involves learning how to overcome the hidden obstacles* within ourselves that prevent us from both getting motivated and keeping motivated. We need to do both to continually move forward.

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