Having a spectacular attitude elevates, inspires and stimulates those around us. I have met so many great people on the Big Island with remarkable attitudes that it lifts me daily. These “can do,” “gitter done” non-whinny kind of people are
By DEXTER IRVIN
UH-Hilo athletic director
My wife and my friends tell me how different I am, in fact people that don’t like me tell me how different I am. I guess I have just come to the conclusion that I am definitely different. To that point, I was driving back from Kona this afternoon and I listened to the movie Top Gun. I must admit that this is my favorite movie of all time, and I have seen it more times than anyone should probably see a movie, but as I drove today I just listened, and was struck by one particular scene.
Ice Man was talking to Maverick and to paraphrase, it went something like this. “Maverick your problem isn’t your flying, it’s your attitude.” “You may not like the people you’re flying with, they may not like you.” “But whose side are you on anyway?” That line got me thinking about my current attitude and whether or not my attitude exposed “whose side I was on.”
I believe most of us around sport, and education in general, have heard all the clichés about attitude. But the reality is that our attitudes are indications of our sentiments and in a large part determine what side of the proverbial equation we are on. Attitude, or lack thereof, also enables us to perform, or not, at levels different than our ordinary abilities.
Most exceptional performances that I have been fortunate to witness seem to be accompanied by an almost contradictory attitude of confidence and humility. At a recent UHH women’s basketball game, I saw those characteristics displayed by a young lady from Grand Canyon. She battled the Vulcans with intensity and an insurmountable attitude of energy and pride. I was so impressed with her skill, but even more impressed with her attitude. I watched as she fouled out of the game that went into overtime, and I was taken aback by the tearful emotion she displayed. What I discovered after the game was that her father suffered a heart attack on the mainland two days prior, and then passed away the day before our game. When life is a little problematical I hope I will recall this brilliant display of positive attitude and character that I was privileged to witnessed tonight on a basketball court at UH-Hilo.
The lack of performance in our personal or professional lives is usually not a lack of training or skill; it is most often a lack of attitude. Many of us witness individuals, teams, families and even larger organizations that seem to suffer from a destructive attitude. These folks always seem to have an excuse for failure or poor performance and most often the excuses radiate from outside in, rather than inside out.
The most amazing thing about attitude is that it is a choice, and consequently can be changed very quickly, perhaps uncomfortably at first, but very quickly. Some attitudes may be overly influenced by those we associate with. Hence the need for young people and some of us not so young, to be of sufficient moral character to provide strong, positive examples for those around us, and when we do need an attitude adjustment, to be humble enough to listen to those that love or care about us.
With six adult children and a resilient spouse/mother, we have a plethora of people to let us know when we need to adjust our attitudes in our family. We have come to recognize and respect each other’s opinions about our attitude, whose side we are on, and when we need to adjust our perspective, even when it is painful to hear. Just recently one of the children sent a text advising to “quit kicking against the thorns.” The advice was a bit painful and direct, but truthful and sincere.
Having a spectacular attitude elevates, inspires and stimulates those around us. I have met so many great people on the Big Island with remarkable attitudes that it lifts me daily. These “can do,” “gitter done” non-whinny kind of people are all around us, and make the planet a better place. Perhaps it is time to ask ourselves what our attitude says about us, and like Maverick, which side we are on.
