My amazing and very close friend, Svetlana (Lana) Kim snuck out of Soviet Russia via a ticket she bought on the black market and came to America with exactly $1 (yes, that would be one dollar!) in her pocket and not one word of English in her vocabulary.
Add to that the fact that once she arrived in New York, she discovered that her one contact (whom she didn’t actually personally know) was in California. And, by the time she made her way there, the contact rejected meeting her.
Yet, Lana Kim has achieved success on a level few have experienced (and, fortunately for us all, has documented it in a book entitled, White Pearl And I: A Memoir Of A Political Refugee – motion picture plans currently in development).
Aside from being a major Go-Giver, focusing on adding value to everyone and everything she touches, she also has an amazing attitude.
Nowhere is the embodied more than in her response to an event that took place yesterday.
After taking the train from her home in Washington, D.C. to New York’s Kennedy Airport and meeting up with the group of friends and associates with whom she’d be traveling for Greece, she realized something…she had forgotten her passport.
Yep. Simply forgotten it. As in, “no way was boarding a plane for Greece in three hours.”
Having no one who would be able to find the passport in her home, she knew there was just one thing to do; take the train back to D.C., get the passport, take the train back to fly out the next day.
And, that she did, without a complaint, externally or internally. When she called me this morning on the phone to relate to me her adventure, she was laughing. She told me she made sure to “sleep with my passport last night.” 🙂 When I congratulated her on her exceptional attitude, she said, “I cannot control the situation but I can control my attitude toward it.” She also said there are lessons to be learned.
Well, the lesson for her might be to remember her passport; but the lesson for me was, “it’s amazing how one’s attitude makes such a difference in terms of problem-solving and peace of mind.”
It would be easy to let a day be ruined by what happened. And, for so many, this would probably be the case, with lots of screaming, shouting, self-blaming, blaming others, etc.
Then again, when someone has had to deal with the adversity that Lana Kim has had to deal with and overcome, it’s very logical that she would see what happened yesterday as an inconvenience as opposed to a tragedy.
Interesting that her attitude for handling this situation summarized her attitude when coming to the U.S. As T. Harv Eker says, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I would bet that Lana’s positive attitude is a touchstone and foundation for everything she does.
Is it “all in the attitude?” Really, I don’t know. But, I would say that attitude certainly counts for a lot!
{Note from Bob: If you get a chance to read Lana’s book, White Pearl And I, I believe it will make a singficantly positive difference in your life. I know it did in mine!}
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Bob,
What an inspirational story! Its nice to see that Lana is living proof that the principals of the Go Givers are truly in fact LAWS…if you follow them, you WILL have success!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Amy
Bob,
This was a great article, and I fully agree Attitude may not be everything, but it can sure give a person the edge.
Having followed your training since I was running ProSTEP many years ago, I can personally say, you just keep giving and giving.
Thank you for your Servant Leadership, and for caring more than some may think is wise.
Never Give Up,
Troy
Attitude is critical! It’s the difference between being a Survivor and a Victim.
Thank you, Rosemary. Great point.
Troy, thank you for that terrific compliment. It means a LOT to me.
{Note: Check out Troy’s excellent website and blog at http://www.TroyDooly.com}
Hi Bob, Thank you for highlighting such an excellent point and for sharing the story about Lana Kim and the book recommendation. She sure sounds like an inspirational and exceptional person to know. A poor attitude attracts nay-sayers and quitters. Believe me, I know because I went through a period of life of not having a good attitude. I ended up in a very low and dark place as a result. This was no accident. Thankfully four years ago Gary Null inspired me to snap out of it and one of the first things I did in conjunction with changing my nutrition was, was to change my ATTITUDE. When your attitude changes, your world adjusts too. It’s that simple. I really enjoy reading your blog Bob. Thank you.
Bob, You and Lana are kindrid spirits. You both are two of the most loving and giving people I have ever known. Thank you for introducing me to her and thank you for your generous and loving spirit.
Thanks Bob, for reacquainting us to Lana’s book.
It was so nice to meet Svetlana at this year’s Extreme Business Makeover event in Orlando. When I met her, I was struck with how lovely she is, cultured, refined and kind. After speaking with her briefly one afternoon, I was then struck with her intelligence, insight into human relations and how articulate she is. I’m looking forward to reading soon White Pearl and I, her book about being a political refugee.
It is no surprise that you and Lana are friends, as “like attracts like”, as one of my college chemistry professors once offered us. Like-minded people are drawn to each other.
The event of leaving the passport in Washington, and Lana’s response to it is a great lesson in equipoise. Staying calm and centered in the midst of swirling life around her, and the possibility for the mind to go into turmoil was not cultivated in that instance by Lana. She had a choice to have any attitude she wanted and she chose one of the highest responses in that instant- one of calm acceptance and solution-orientation.
Imagine a world in which many more people had a response like Lana’s? There wouldn’t be all the drama we hear about so often. People would smile more. I think we would be more supportive of ourselves and others, and blame less.
Thanks so much for bringing this to us, Bob. It’s such a good reminder on how we have the power of choice in our attitude and how important that can be to quality of life.
Thank you Kirsty, Stacy and Heather. Yes, I really believe it’s a choice and we constantly train ourselves before, during and after each “situation” to determine whether we’re going to react (negative) or respond (positive). While many factors can make a difference between success and failure, attitude is perhaps the key.
Sventlana is a wonder – and we are better off for having her at the party.
Thanks for sharing her story. I encourage everyone to read her book.
When we go on family trips, I actually look forward to the bumps in the road. It’s what makes the trip memorable.
A few years back, my family and I were on our way to the airport and got a flat tire. We arrived late and missed our plane. It was 3 days before Christmas – all the flights were full and it was impossible to get on a plane.
Add to this that we were on our way to Disney in Orlando and my three daughters had been looking forward to this trip for a year.
We did get to Orlando – 20 hours later. But it was the running around and scurrying that we remember about the trip. Believe it or not, it was he best part of the adventure. We were laughing all the way.
Sventlana is right. Everything is what we make it.
Wow, Lana did the only logical thing possible she could have done, i.e. go back home and retrieve the passport. However, logical does not translate into “easy to do in a calm manner”. I would like to think that I would behave in such a rational manner in the same circumstances, but I’m afraid I might fall painfully short of the mark.
Attitude can make such a difference. Here’s to Lana for having a remarkable one! 🙂
Jeanne
Hi Bob,
As always thank you so much for sharing and for your insight. Sventlana story is truly remarkable. I have heard many wonderful things about her from my dear FB friend, Gina McNew. I believe that your attitude determines your altitude, the way that you respond to challenging situations can certainly make a difference, if and when you tackle them with a positive attitude. You ROCK! 🙂
Cheers,
Vanessa
Hi Neal and Vanessa, yes, I certainly agree with you, both regarding Lana AND about attitude. Though, Neal, I’ve got to tell you, my friend; you are definintely a better sport than I am. WOW! I’d like to think I have a much better attitude about handling those “bumps on the road” than I used to, but I definitely do not welcome them. 🙂
{Note: Neal and Vaness both have excellent blogs you might want to visit. Neal’s is at http://www.wealthpilgram.com and Vanessa’s is at http://vanessamichelegarcia.blogspot.com.}
What an Incredible Story, Bob!
Many times we can’t change the situation, but we can control our attitude! 🙂 Might take a little practise at first to change the way we are used to thinking, but it’s worth the effort. Thanks for Sharing your wisdom with us, Bob!
Bob,
What a great reminder that we can be part of the problem or the solution. It’s all in how we decide to deal with any given situation. Thank you for sharing that story. I know it will come to mind someday in the future when I will be faced with “how you gonna handle this one”. Looking forward to reading Lana’s story. Thanks for helping us stay on the path to success!
Lisa
Bob,
This was written well. You words captured Svetlana’s spirit beautifully. She is a dynamo!
I was with her that day and she is pure joy! Thanks for highlighting this moment of
inspiration. Donna
Thanks, Bob. I first read this earlier this morning and it was the perfect little jolt of encouragement and positivity to start my day!
Have you ever noticed that the people who refuse to compromise their attitude and stay positive are seldom complainers? Yet some of those who have the easiest path to travel are the worst victims and complainers.
Life is what you make it and that starts with the little things. If you have a tendency to over react and blow little things out of proportion than you will do the same with the bigger things only on a larger scale.
The world needs more go-givers and less complainers.