You Are Free to Choose your Attitude!

“The ultimate freedom is the right to choose your attitude toward life.”
Victor Frankl

I have a rather young client- 28 years old- who is a manager in an agricultural setting. 
He has come a long way from where he grew up, a broken home with much violence. 
He has really done his best to survive a rough youth and to assume an important role at work, newly married and overall positive about life.

But there is his boss…his boss is a tough guy who lacks in many of the basic interpersonal skills that you and I might take for granted. 
He easily yells, screams, insults and even verbally denigrates my client, let's call him "R". R knows that if he makes a few wrong moves he may easily find himself out of a job. 
With a weak resume, little in the way of professional credentials and his wife 4 months pregnant, R really struggles through every day feeling that he is not respected and honored. 
R does his best but at times his temper gets the best of him.
In coaching R I tried to develop with him the idea of "choice", choosing your feelings, choosing your reaction, choosing your attitude. 
Not an easy thing but…if Victor Frankl could do it, what about us?

The freedom to choose one's attitude doesn't always shine, it is not especially photogenic and doesn't make headlines. 
But it can work. The ability to choose not to be insulted, not to be denigrated is a bold exercise in freedom. We can choose. 
We can be free. It ain't easy but it is probably the strongest tool in our toolbox.