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Aboko usually purchased his weekend newspapers from Agya Nsiah, whose stand was about 200 meters away from his house. It was Aboko�s habit to walk leisurely every Saturday morning to the stand, getting there earlier than even the earliest of customers for the day. This way, Aboko could have his usual uninterrupted chat with Agya Nsiah before the customers came trooping in. Agya Nsiah was a fount of wisdom, and he always had a story to illustrate an important lesson for Aboko. To Aboko, Agya Nsiah was not just a news vendor, but a sage and Aboko bought more than newspapers from him � he also bought wisdom; just that the latter was pro bono service from Agya. Uncle Thomas was the greatest sore-head Aboko had even seen in his life � Mr. Thomas was always angry and unpleasant to deal with, and this was the same no matter the weather, season or time of day. Saturday mornings seemed to be the worst. Aboko could never forget greeting Uncle Thomas �Good morning� one day. The man nearly spat in Aboko�s face. He blurted right in the face of the young boy: �What is good about the morning, eh? What is good about this morning? It is a bloody morning, an awful morning!!� Aboko learnt to keep at least a kilometer away from him from that moment onwards!! Except at Agya Nsiah�s stand, where Uncle Thomas was a regular customer. Mr. Thomas was at the stand every Saturday. And with his negative attitude, which he wore next to his skin. Surprisingly, Agya Nsiah treated Uncle Thomas with the same demeanor he treated every customer with, if not better. Agya Nsiah was ever courteous, replying each of Uncle Thomas� stinging words with a kind one, and with a smile as well. Only the obvious dissimilarities between black and white could describe the opposite extremities of expressions of Agya Nsiah and Uncle Thomas � a smile verses a stone wall, painted black. Aboko never ceased to be amazed. One day, he asked Agya Nsiah how he managed to keep his composure with Uncle Thomas. �My son,� Agya started, �you are responsible for how you feel and how you will behave. You should not be like a chameleon whose color will become red-hot because the fire in the other person is burning. You decide how you behave � absolutely � not anyone else.� Many of us are reactive, not proactive. We react. We hit back. We are �an eye for an eye� practitioners. We attack when we are attacked, with good measure. Our barometer reads from the environment and makes us act accordingly. We are mirrors who reflect the anger in others, the bad attitude in the other person, and the negative comments of others. Let me show you a higher level of living. Be controlled from the inside of you. Be controlled by your standards. Be motivated by your decisions. Have high standards of behavior that rides over the negative noise of others. Laugh with those who laugh, mourn with those that mourn, but don�t mourn when you don�t want to, and laugh at those who laugh at you if you want to. Determine not to be a photo-sensor that brightens the lights only when people are nice to you. Why? Because there are lots of negative and irritable people in our world. Sometimes you wonder whether they are sorted out and specially packaged for your pleasure! You must learn to ride above the noise. People will doubt you, but do you doubt your own self? People will insult your integrity, but do you trust yourself? If you are at peace with yourself and with God, you can be at peace with the world. So, how do you feel today? And is your feeling under your control? Is how you feel today your own doing? Quotes �We do not what we ought, What we ought not, we do; And lean upon the thought That chance will bring us through; But our own acts, for good or ill, Are mightier powers.� - Matthew Arnold (1822 � 1888) �Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.� Anonymous �Attitude might not catch fish, but it helps when you don�t.� Anonymous Action Exercises 1. Decide to maintain a positive attitude, in spite of the environment. 2. Review yourself each day, to ensure you are controlling yourself from the inside. Ask yourself: Today, was I a slave to someone else�s attitude?