Attitudes Are Contagious

Juanita and I currently have 2 beautiful boys: Isaiah aged 6 and Noah aged 2. It is quite clear that little Noah admires his big brother. Everything that Isaiah does, Noah tries to copy him. Isaiah is very artistic as he loves to draw, colour, and do art craft work. He has his art box and every now and then, he pulls it out and makes something out of nothing. He loves to create. Noah thinks that it is so cool, so he pulls out his own paper and pen and sits next to Isaiah. All he does is scribble and goes “Look everyone!”, and we usually reply saying “Awww, that’s good Noah!”. Isaiah just shakes his head and laughs.




They are typical brothers; one minute they love each other and really care for each other, the next they are the worse of enemies and are scrapping and screaming at each other. One time Isaiah got so angry, he advised Noah (in a loud screaming voice of course) to “Shut up!”….added with a bit of “Loser!” in the end of the sentence. Since then, Noah started saying those words as well. And nowadays, every time Noah disagreed with our requests, he would tell us to S-up and call us Losers. Ha, funny to think about it now - this little, cute, innocent 2yr old, but not so funny during the time. Can you imagine us in the shopping centre – “Noah, don’t do that please.” … and all you can hear is this loud voice going SHUT UP DADDY (or MUMMY)! LOSER! LOSER! People would be staring at us and we just feel like melting. Deep-down inside you feel like doing what Homer (Simpson) does to Bart…”Why you little!!!”.


“Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?” – Author Unknown


When I was growing up, I was troublesome. My parents can vouch for that. I don’t remember how many times I’ve tried to run away from home. And I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve had a screaming battle with my parents, and brothers as well. I can’t tell you why that was or what started it all. Maybe I needed to feel loved? Needed more attention? But then again, I’m sure my parents and brothers tried to show me love and gave me heaps of attention. I think maybe I just needed to snap out of it and mature. I don’t know. All I know is that I feel ever so bad every time I think back and realise how awful I treated the people around me, the people who love me the most. But hey, you can just apologise and move on and make it right from then on. Have you ever noticed that when you are in a good mood, that everything around you feels so positive and beautiful? And when you are in a bad mood, it feels like the whole world is falling on top of you? Just think that you have complete control of your emotions. There are only 2 ways to go about it: happy or sad. Which one will you choose? I know it is hard sometimes to snap out of it when someone's just called you a nasty name or has made negative comments about you. What I would suggest that you could do, is find your "quiet space". For me, it is sitting somewhere where I can see the sky, put on my iPod and listen to Christian music, and just chill out. For you it could be the same, or could be going to the mall and just window shopping, or maybe read a book somewhere quiet? Whatever or where ever it may be, make sure that you use that time wisely. Make sure that you put a real effort in going back to your positive state. And please....don't vent so that everyone else can see it. This will give everyone else the impression of a person whom you are truly not. If you need to talk to someone about it, then do it quietly. Do you have a friend who you can trust who would listen to you and make it better? Remember, God didn't make you a bad person. YOU are NOT a bad person. Sure, you have had bad experiences in life, but hey, everyone else does. It is how you deal with the situation that matters.


I wasn’t really aware of my behaviour and attitude when I was growing up, I just had this huge chip on my shoulder. And I could tell that no-one wanted to hang around with me as I always set this negative vibe. I would always hear people around me whispering to each other saying how grumpy I was. My brothers would always say that it was “Joey vs. the World”. Which is true! Or WAS true. Nowadays I’m a lot more aware of my surroundings and I try to project a positive environment for when I am at home, or at work…or wherever it is. Maybe it was all a part of growing up, a journey. That is what life for me is all about. Life is a journey, and not a destination. It is about learning what is right from what is wrong. It is applying what you have learnt and making it better next time. And foremost, it is sharing your experience with others, especially with my kids.


1 Peter 2:12 - "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."