I always find people's choices of quotes interesting because the quotes they tend to share are often a reflection of who they are and their attitudes in life. I stumbled across the above quote by Herm Albright, which upon first blush sets up the reader for an expectation of something positive and inspiring, but then reverses it to sarcasm and cynicism. Herm Albright was notorious for these kinds of statements which he shared as a writer for the Saturday Evening Post. He viewed the world through the lens of cynicism.
In working as a spiritual life coach and teacher, I meet a lot of people who talk a good talk, and project a facade of positivity, goodness, and optimism; however, if you pay close attention, their words, their actions, and the thoughts they share with others contradict this outward persona. We all have our moments of human weakness in which we lose our spiritual or Christian-principled center; but consistent contradiction reveals the hypocrisy through how one expresses him or herself in conversations, behaviors, and attitudes.
We are spiritual beings living in a human experience. Spiritual essence (vibrations) are those expressions of emotion and feelings that feel good. Examples include love, joy, peace, harmony, compassion, joy, elation, grace, etc. The human Ego-driven essence are emotions and feelings that don't feel so good: anger, cynicism, annoyance, upset, resentment, vindictiveness, complaints, etc. Spiritual expressions are higher vibrations, and they feel good within oneself, and they feel good when shared by other people. Ego expressions are lower vibrations, and they don't feel as good when experiencing them firsthand or when shared by another. So when we read Albright's well-known but misleading quote, we are lured in by a hopeful spiritual vibration (positive attitude) only for it to convert to an Ego-driven lower vibration (intention to annoy).
A positive attitude isn't intended to solve problems, but rather to be supportive energy in moving through problems with a higher (spiritual) vibrational demeanor. Having a positive attitude with the intention to annoy another person is simply Ego-driven lower vibration, thus a reflection of spitefulness. Yes, those with negative, bad attitudes may very well be annoyed by those who hold positive attitudes; however, holding a positive attitude with the intention to annoy others is in and of itself a negative attitude, a lower vibration.
Regardless, I choose a positive attitude because I believe in holding a higher vibrational belief system that supports me in creating positive experiences in my life. It also attracts more joy, love, peace and harmony in my life, the feel good stuff. Once in a while, bad attitudes hook us in, bringing us down to that lower vibrational space in life. We must become more aware of when this occurs so we can pull ourselves out of it with pure intention for a better experience. We also encounter bad attitudes from co-workers, families, strangers, etc. I strive to help others shift out of those dark places into a “bright side” optimism. Of course, not everyone is willing to go there, because it feels better to be a victim and feel pitied. But if we want to truly experience joy, love, harmony, and more “feel goods” in our life, we can learn from yet another famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi: Be the change you want to see in the world.
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