Directions: For this part, you are required to summarize the main idea of the following passage in plain language in less than 150 words, trying to use your on expressions as much as possible. You should write your summary on the ANSWER SHEET.
"Attitude is everything because it saves us from pitfalls of pessimism."
"Attitude is everything", goes the copy of an advertisement that you must have seen on hoardings in many places. The one line says it all. Just reflect upon it and you'll realize the simple truth in it.
What is it that makes the difference between a happy and a sad person? His attitude to the prevailing circumstances. Agreed, not everybody can be happy always, but one can attempt to derive happiness from as many situations as possible. What needs to be changed is the way we look at certain things, the attitude we have towards them.
Think about the times you have been upset over trivial matters and ruined your day going around with a long face and a lousy mood that would have affected not only you but also those close to you.
On hindsight, you may feel terrible about having done that. You may even resolve not to let such a situation trap you again. Resolutions are fine, but you do need something to sustain it. And what is that something? That magic ingredient is a positive, winning attitude. Having the right attitude is half the battle won.
The right attitude can make all the difference between winning and losing.You cannot win in every situation. But, you can extract something beneficial from every situation. A positive attitude will help you analyze situations, whereas a negative attitude will highlight obstacles, both real and imaginary.
Let us take an example of an active person who is in a situation wherein he has to give up many of his activities due to an injury. If the person has a negative approach, he will become bitter, always regretting the accident and thinking back on how he could have prevented it from happening and torturing himself in the process. Such an attitude is bound to spill over into the person’s behavior and will affect those around him.
On the other hand, a person armed with a positive attitude will be able to face the fact of his accident, put it behind him and try to adapt to the new circumstances he finds himself in. He may try to learn new skills that suits his present physical capacities. His positive attitude will encourage him to try to be as self-reliant as possible, both mentally and physically, though the physical self-sufficiency might pose practical problems. In which case, he will accept his shortcomings and try to build upon his strengths instead.
Your attitude reflects the real you. A positive attitude will bring you bouncing back from great adversities, whereas a pessimistic attitude can pull you down into the depths of gloom. Through the ages, humans have been through various calamities, wars and what not. But each incident has seen us bounce back into normal life with greater intensity than before.
Mentally strong people can come out unscathed from the worst of situations. World War II saw prisoners being subjected to untold misery, but there were those few strong men among them who used to bolster confidence in their fellow prisoners by comforting them and supporting them in their hour of need. Remember these were people who themselves could have used some help, but they found it in themselves to help others. That is the mark of a strong human being. One who will lead others to survival and success.
So resolve to develop a positive attitude if you want to be a winner and a leader. How? You may ask. Well, it is all there in you, you just need to find it. Remind yourself from time to time of what you have and how you can use that. Pining for what you do not have will only make you unhappy. Instead, do your best with the best of your resources and see yourself reaching out for success and happiness.
Happiness is not a measure of your material possessions but your state of mind. A person with limited income but with the right attitude towards life can be a more contented and happy person than the richest person on earth, (word count: 687)
