Have you ever been given a task and your first thoughts that come to mind are negative ones on how you cannot achieve it? I have.
Have you ever gotten into a situation where everything looks bleak and thought there is no way out of it and just given up? I have.
Have you ever watched your favorite sports team lose three straight, or go down by 20 points, and think this is over, they are done? I have.
In all of these instances, we not only have let ourselves down but we have failed those around us. The reason why we have failed is not because of any physical or mental “disability,” but because of our debilitating attitude. It is an epidemic that no one in the world will ever find a cure for, but almost everyone in the world will suffer from at one point in their lives.
While the dust settles from this cloud of Super Bowl Championship hysteria in Baltimore, we get a clearer picture of the inspiration that sent the Baltimore Ravens over the top. It was from a man who stands at just 4’2 and yet has impacted the NFL with a simple phrase:
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
These simple yet impactful words come from a 21 year old Towson University student, Matthew Jeffers, who has every reason to ask “why me?” and “how can life be so unfair?” and yet has consistently overachieved.
We all come from different backgrounds, we all have all strengths and weaknesses and we all have things that we cannot control in life, but we are blessed with the ability to control one thing: our attitude. Many of us learn this in the late stages of our lives after we have let opportunities slip away, but take this as a learning tool, as a guiding light to teach the youth – and in some cases yourselves – the way to take life head on. Wake up each day with the mindset that you will fulfill your everyday commitments with the greatest effort and never look back regretting your effort. We all know the phrases “carpe diem” and “live life to the fullest,” but the next time you encounter a hurdle in life, I challenge you to follow Matt Jeffers’ lead and say to yourself:
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
Better yourself, better the youth you work with, but most importantly, better your attitude because with a positive attitude there isn’t any hurdle you cannot jump on your way to success.