An article that was among my emails. A good, motivating read. Choose Attitude! While I was out training last week with the famous Surfers Paradise Triathlon Club lead by the great Jenny Alcorn (World Champion Duathlete 1992), the thought came to me to write this article on an issue that may ruffle some feathers amongst our readers! As an age group athlete (and my age group just went up!), and someone who is now reasonably content to train for fun and fitness with a more mature outlook on sport (still competitive but not compulsive, wise enough to know when to stop, when to rest and when to sleep in - all the things that I did not do in my sporting infancy), I have observed attitude in athletes. Attitude is that steely determination, that terrier quality, the tenacity to continue through think and thin which sets some athletes apart from others. I have also observed the athlete who cuts corners, takes the short route, needs constant pushing from the coach or others, complains all the time, or always has an excuse for the underperformance. I have seen some of the most gifted athletes very short on attitude. They never make it very far in their sport. Some of the best athletes have fewer gifts and more attitude. It is my belief that even if you are the most gifted athlete in the world, without attitude, your gift will amount to very little. The big question then becomes, how do we get attitude if we do not have it? First, we have to want to get an attitude - badly - enough to upset a few of your friends and family, who will be disturbed by the change in you. Then you have to get out of bed, make your bed, clean up your life, do what you say you will do, and drop all words and thoughts of can't, won't and don't want to from your vocabulary, and in all areas of your life. Low attitude is a kind of general malaise - it spreads through us like a cancer to our home, work, thoughts about ourselves, and our sporting activities. One of the biggest myths espoused today is life should be this wonderful comfortable place where everything is perfect and we never have to do anything that makes us feel uncomfortable, or that we do not like. I have noticed this is my 10-year-old daughter. Our greatest growth often comes from the areas that we are most uncomfortable in. I contend, why not embrace the discomfort, because if we try to avoid it, one way or another, it will come to us. (Have you noticed this? Life happens.) People who achieve great things are renowned for having given up much on their path to greatness. Susie O'Neill and other professional swimmers (to name a specific group), have given up sleeping in, going out late (past 8 p.m.), eating whatever they like, and partying with friends for years and years. Growing strong muscles requires working hard weights - and that hurts! There are no short cuts. Attitude means that you will push through the training threshold, you will do the last set, you will choose to eat less junk food and get to bed early. Choose attitude, lots of it and be proud of it. Yes, it will get up someone's nose. Not everyone will like you for it. What really matters is that you like you for it, and like who you become and what you do because of it. This is attitude for your life versus attitude just because.