New Attitude for Resilience in Life

Recently in our family exercise time we have been using some new dvd’s from Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home program. The titles are Walk Slim Fast & Firm 4 Really Big Miles and Walk Slim 5 Really Big Miles. Both are a good work out where you can do all the miles or portions. She always uses upbeat positive music and in these two dvds one song stood out to me. It is New Attitude that was popularized by Patti Labelle in the late 1980’s.

The song musically is a high energy song that carries a positive vibe to it. I had never really listened to it other that catching the main phrase “New Attitude”. So I looked it up online and looked over the lyrics. I thought of the word resilience as soon as I looked at the lyrics. Resilience is that inner ability that helps when you are at a seemingly dead-end; to not give up but to keep on going by finding a new way – a new attitude. Take some time first to look over the lyrics I have printed for you. As always click on the title if you wish to activate a video of the song to hear it.

New Attitude performed by Patti Labelle

Written by Sharon Robinson;Jonathan Gilutin;Bunny Hull

Runnin' hot, runnin' cold
I was runnin' into overload, it was extreme
I took it so high, so low
So low, there was nowhere to go like a bad dream

Somehow the wires uncrossed, my tables were turned
Never knew I had such a lesson to learn

I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes
Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do
I tidied it up my point of view I got a new attitude!

I'm in control, my worries are few 'Cause I've got love like I never knew
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo I got a new attitude!

I'm wearing a new dress, new hair
Brand new ideas, as a matter of fact I've changed for good
It must have been the cool night, new moon, slight change
More than to figure oh but I feel like I should, yes

Somehow the wires uncrossed, my tables were turned
Never knew I had such a lesson to learn

I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes
Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do
I tidied it up my point of view
I got a new attitude

I'm in control, my worries are few
'Cause I've got love like I never knew
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo
I got a new attitude
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo

Somehow the wires uncrossed, my tables were turned
Never knew I had such a lesson to learn

I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes
Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do
I tidied it up my point of view
I got a new attitude

I'm in control, my worries are few 'Cause I've got love like I never knew
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo I got a new attitude


From my head to my shoes I'm loving you (I got a new attitude)

I got a new, new attitude! Everything about be has changed
Baby I ain't the same (I got a new attitude!)

Oh I got a new, I got a new I got a brand new, brand new
I got a new attitude


We all at one time or another have life events that drive our emotions to the extremes of hot or cold. Events, where, we come to a dead end. Maybe it is a dream we had where the tables are now turned and we see a nightmare instead. It may be a relationship or a job that has fallen through. At those times we are so low as to feel in our attitude that there is no way to proceed. The failure is too much and the wires that energize are life have been short circuited. We can let worries take over and have a negative attitude that everything is out of control so we better give up on life. That is the picture I see from the beginning of the song. The sad thing is that some people choose to live in the bad dream of their nightmare attitude for the rest of their lives.

The good news is that times of failure do not make us failures for life. We can choose a new attitude. We can look at the failure and seek to learn lessons to improve and change our dreams and goals. We have been created to be resilient and move forward from dead-ends with new attitudes. The phrase “I tidied up my point of view” is an important phrase. To bounce back from failure and troubles we need to do an attitude check and reevaluate our next play in the game of life. I like how the song says “from my head to my toes”. Our positive attitude change has to affect our whole being to be successful.

On the issue of control we can never be fully in control. But in an attitude check, we need to look at what we can control and change for the better and prayerfully leave what we can’t control up to God. In doing this we keep worries to a limit and can keep moving forward with the positive energy we see this song is about. A new attitude gives us a positive feeling about the direction in which we are then moving. So if you are going through difficulties that have brought your attitude to a new low. Take some time for an attitude check and make a choice to change it from your head to your toes.

Reflection: Take 10 minutes to reflect on your life journey. Do an attitude check. Are you feeling low or at a dead-end? Brainstorm ideas for new directions and choose to step out with a positive energetic new attitude. Listen to this song for a few days and see if the melody and words energize your life.