Getting Started with Charles Daily’s Attitude Stuff
So last month I found this dog-eared copy of “Attitude” by Charles Daily at Goodwill for 50 cents. Figured hey, why not? Cracking it open felt like dusting off some ancient wisdom scrolls – kinda dated but promising.
My First Attempts Were Messy
Started trying to apply his “flip the script” method Monday morning. When my neighbor’s lawnmower woke me at 6AM, instead of cussing I mumbled “thanks for free alarm clock buddy” through gritted teeth. Felt ridiculous but slightly less angry. Did this all week:
- When coffee spilled on reports due in 30min? Whispered “clean slate opportunity” while blotting
- Stuck in traffic? Tried “scenic route appreciation time” like the book suggested
- Work critique session? Bit my tongue saying “free upgrade tips” instead of snapping back
Honestly felt like faking it most times. My wife caught me muttering to the toaster and thought I’d gone nuts.
The Turning Point
Wednesday hit different though. My kid’s school called about “incident involving cafeteria ketchup packets”. Normally I’d storm in ready for war. This time I paused, remembered Daily’s bit about neutrality before reaction. Walked in asking “can you help me understand what happened?” instead of yelling. Teacher looked shocked. Kiddo wasn’t suspended. Felt like some Jedi mind trick worked.
Making It Stick
Started keeping a dumb little notebook like Daily recommends. Wrote down 3 attitude “wins” each night:
- Told boss “let’s explore alternatives” instead of “that’s stupid”
- Complimented Karen’s ugly new sweater in accounting
- Thanked telemarketer before hanging up
After two weeks, noticing weird changes. Less jaw tension. Fewer regretful texts sent at 2am. Even caught myself humming during rush hour. Still mess up constantly but now I just laugh and say “practice session”. Feels less like self-help nonsense and more like fixing a leaky faucet – slow drip by drip progress.
The kicker? Yesterday my barista said “you seem chill lately”. Didn’t even order my usual triple espresso meltdown special. Maybe this attitude junk actually works.