Our State of “Tude”!

Our State of “Tude”!

By Allen Merritt (©2017)

I was thinking this morning about “tudes.”

What’s a “tude”, you might ask?

Well, a “tude” (generally speaking) refers to an attitude of any kind.

Over coffee, I pondered the abbreviated form of a “tude.”  I jotted down ideas and words that relate to it as I wondered about the positive aspects of how “tudes” impact our lives.  How many “tudes” are there? Which ones give us the most bang for our buck in the way of feeling good or obtaining enlightenment, peace of mind or contentment?

Let’s face it, our attitude means everything toward how we face each day. If we wake up grumpy, it may take a while to turn the frown upside down! Ultimately, it is my belief that a positive attitude will serve us better in the long run rather than any negative one. The right “tude” can determine our mood, dude!  More importantly, it garners a better outcome overall.

Here are a few thoughts I want to propose for helping us improve our state of “tude.”

Gratitude – naturally finding something to be grateful and/or thankful for helps place us in a state of appreciation for aspects of our life. It’s humbling. It’s also a form of recognition toward understanding that the whole of life is a gift and not necessarily something that comes to us on a silver platter and/or with a silver spoon. Nothing is ever guaranteed even when one works hard to believe and achieve. To me, gratitude is my number one “tude.” We are blessed with the opportunity to pursue and give it our all. Without gratitude everything will mean nothing and is taken for granted.

Solitude – taking a moment here and there to be with ourselves and reflect on anything and everything going on in life. This is a very important “tude.” If we do not take time to think on, contemplate and ponder how we feel, what we know and understand or figure out where we stand on issues and situations, then we only become more and more blithely unaware of our circumstances. We get too caught up in the world and forget who we are, what’s important and where we are heading. Solitude helps us regroup, reassess, reevaluate as we move forward and navigate.

Beatitude(s) - help us form character and integrity. While generally thought of in religious context, there are many benefits from these thoughtful proclamations. They remind us to be humbled, passionate, forgiving, gentle, self-controlled, thoughtful, tolerant, comforting, peace seeking and more. The Beatitudes contribute greatly to our daily recipe for living.

We-attitude – reminds us to focus on inclusiveness and social consciousness. While a ‘Me-attitude’ may prove important to our general health and well being, a’ We-attitude’ helps serve to balance out everything else.  At some point one realizes we are all in the same boat and it isn’t always about the almighty Me, Myself and I.  On some level, this “tude” reminds us of our social connected-ness in the world.

Overall, attitude changes the outcome of any initiative. You can have a bad-itude, be crude, lewd and rude and the outcome will result in the same return on your investment. It’s like being repeatedly slapped in the face. I don’t think anyone likes that.  Yet, I do notice this happening a lot out there in the real world. People are letting their “tudes” get the best of them and others. They lash out, scream, bully, objectify, purposefully attack people and wreak havoc, which only promotes destructiveness.

Attending to those “tudes” which promote growth and understanding helps everyone live life on a more positive note, don’t you think?

Considering these theories on “tudes,” I hope each and every day will reflect the best of the best. May our attitudes promote us toward a higher gain and not lead us down a path of ugliness.

With that in mind, have a great week living life on a positive note.

Cheers!