Mila is a lady that many co-workers avoided because they
thought she was a fake. Why? Because she was always
happy, laughing and joking. Every morning When she arrived
at work she always has a big smile on her face. She welcomed
everyone she met with a genuine smile and she would greet
everyone with this phrase; ‘Today is a beautiful day, let’s make
the best of it.”
When I first met Mila I had a hard time believing that she
was indeed for real, particularly after many co-workers had
warned me about her.
So I decided to observe and watched her behavior to see for
myself if what I was told about her was true or if they were
wrong in their evaluation of her attitude.. Our paths would
crossed at least four or five times during the day. I
observed her interacting with the caretaker, the secretary,
the lunch room supervisors, other teachers and many students
during the day. She was always smiling, her attitude was
always positive, and she always had a kind word for even the
most troublesome students we had at the time in the school.
So one day while I was alone in the teacher’s lounge Mila
came in, and as usual welcomed me with her usual greeting;
‘Today is a beautiful day, let’s make the best of it.” I
smile back at her and said: Mila, I noticed that you are
always happy and smiling. She said “Indeed I like to smile
and laugh, Do you see a problem with that?” “Of course not.”
I replied. “I just found it strange that you are always
positive, bubbly and happy all the time. Do you want to
share your secret with me?” I inquired. “With pleasure,”
she said.
“My secret is no secret at all. When I wake up every morning,
these are the questions I ask myself. Mila do you have a
roof over your head? Do you have food in your fridge to feed
your family? Does your husband and your two children
love you? Is your family healthy? Are you healthy? Do you
have a job to go to? Do you have money in the bank to pay
your bills? Do you live in a beautiful home? Do you have
wonderful friends that truly care about you? Since the answer
to all these questions are yes, I recognize that I am one of the
most fortunate persons alive. So I give thanks to God and I
promise myself to give a smile and share a positive message
with everyone I come in contact with during my day. As a
result I always have a great day. That’s all there is to it.”
“Wow!” I said to Mila, “You have a winning attitude. “When
did you start with this attitude of gratitude you possess.”
She told me that when she was in her teens she would
often come home in a terrible mood and would spend the whole
evening without talking to her family. Her parents got so tired
of her attitude that when the summer arrived they sent her to
Barcelona, Spain, to her maternal grand mother’s home.
A week after my arrival, my grand mother sat me down and
gave me a lecture about the power of attitude. My first
reaction was an angry one, Nana what is attitude anyway?
Why do I have to change my attitude? I don’t see what is
wrong with the way I behave? She ignored my outburst
completely. She said “Mila attitude is everything. Your attitude
can make you or break you. So choose your attitude wisely.
If you have a positive attitude you will attract positive outcomes.
You should count your blessings every day when you wake up
because you have many to be thankful for. Stop pushing away all
the good thing God has in store for you.”
I was still having some difficulty buying into her philosophy, but
since I loved my grand mother a lot, I decided to give it a try,
just to please her. By the end of the summer I had made so
many new friends, and I had been invited to so many parties,
that I came to the conclusion that Nana was right.
When I came back home from Spain, that year, I was a new
person. My grandmother’s words of wisdom became my new
guiding light and I chose an attitude of gratitude as my new
way of interacting with others.
