During a Messenger Chat session the other day, I asked a fellow how his day was going. SS.DD., was his response. What do you mean, I asked. Well, you know, he replied, it’s just another day. Same Stuff; Different Day!

So many people live that way; each day just being just another day on the treadmill. How can that be? Life is such a miracle. There is so much to enjoy, so much to do, so much to be in awe of; all of it an almost indescribable adventure.

What is it, then, that enables one person to frolic gleefully along the path from birth to death filled with wonder and anticipation while others stumble along in a daze of ennui? Attitude!

I have written before on the importance of attitude. I will, no doubt, return again to the theme. It is a critical understanding. Your attitude determines the quality of your life.

Just as the attitude of the slats and flaps on an aircraft wing control the altitude of the plane, so too does your attitude control the altitude to which your spirit soars.

The great thing is that your attitude is completely a matter of choice. Events and circumstances need have no more bearing on your attitude/altitude than passing clouds have on the path of a plane.

We live close to a very challenging hike that is only taken by the most adventurous of visitors. It takes between 6 to 8 hours to hike up and over 3 mountain ridges to reach and return from the famed volcanic Boiling Lake of Dominica. It is often raining. It is a very tough, challenging hike. Everyone returns bone tired, muddy and wet. Some are thrilled with the adventure. Some are just weary of the ordeal.

What is the difference? The experience for all is the same. Attitude is the only difference between ordeal and adventure.

So it is with each and every day of your life. Ordeal or adventure? Your choice. Each moment, each day, you choose to adopt an attitude about your life and its components. It is this chosen attitude that determines the quality of your life, NOT the events and circumstances of each day.

These experiences pass away like clouds. Like clouds do for airplanes, the various events and circumstances of your life may create some turbulence, but they are, after all, only as ethereal as water vapor. It is your attitude that prevails. It is your attitude that makes all the difference. It is your attitude that determines whether your life is an ordeal or an adventure.

“The how of life may seem complex, but the why is simple. It is to revere, relish and contribute.” Adopt that attitude and you will discover that life is a great gift and even more miraculously, so you are capable of being a great gift to yourself and to those around you.