朱莉·約翰斯頓/Julie Johnston
A law that I live by every day of my life is the fact that attitude is everything. No matter what situation you find yourself in, your attitude can make all the difference.
When I was born, the doctors noticed something different about me. My limbs were shorter than average, and they determined that I was a dwarf. A few months later, the doctors shocked my parents with the devastating news that I was also severely visually impaired.
I am now 15 years old and I stand 2′9″. I have learned over the years that you can overcome any obstacle with three things: help from God the Father, determination, and a positive attitude.
Through the years, I have been told that I would never be able to do certain things. In almost every case, I have proven this wrong. All it took was a positive attitude and determination. A person has to search for ways to overcome obstacles in life. For example, if I want a drink of water and I cannot reach the water dispenser in the refrigerator, I simply ask myself, "Julie, what can you do to get a drink of water independently?" Then, I come to the conclusion that I need to get a stepstool.
There are a lot of people in this world who have minor obstacles in their lives, and instead of looking for ways to climb over them, they simply feel sorry for themselves their whole lives.
Having a positive attitude can also help change daily moods we get ourselves into. If a person is in a negative mood, he or she just needs to turn it around and determine not to feel bad any longer. Pretty soon he or she starts thinking positively instead. This method also works with other people. If you notice someone is in a bad mood, be positive and upbeat around that person, instead of letting that person influence you to begin thinking negatively.
Positive thinking and attitudes are contagious. Last year, I had a wonderful ninth grade English teacher, who was very upbeat and enthusiastic. We were beginning to learn how to diagram sentences. The first day we started diagramming she made the entire class stand up and repeat the phrase "Diagramming is fun!" until we looked enthusiastic enough to satisfy her. She explained that if you say something a lot, you start to believe it's true. Every day when it was time to diagram, my teacher would stand up in front of the class with an enormous smile on her face, and she appeared to be having the best time of her life. Her attitude took something most kids see as boring and pointless and made it fun and exciting.