The Freedom of Attitude

By Jimmy Swinder

Most people think freedom is about circumstance. The right job, the right timing, the right opportunities lining up in just the right way. I used to think that too, until I started working in environments where almost nothing is within your control. Production forces you to face an uncomfortable truth: you can’t control much. But you can control who you choose to be.

There’s a certain rhythm that develops on busy days. People walk fast. Voices rise. Decisions pile up. Everyone feels the pressure, and every choice carries weight. In those moments, it’s tempting to match the energy around you. Stress creates more stress. Frustration creates more frustration. But every now and then, someone walks in with a different kind of energy—steady, focused, grounded. And you can feel the whole room respond to it.

I started paying attention to those people. They weren’t louder. They weren’t demanding control. They just carried a sense of calm that made everything feel more manageable. At first, I thought they were just built that way. Some natural personality trait I didn’t have. But over time, watching them work, I realized something else. Their steadiness wasn’t accidental. It was a choice.

That realization stayed with me. It made me look at my own reactions. I started noticing when I got pulled into stress that wasn’t mine, or when I let small inconveniences shape my mood. Most of the time, my attitude wasn’t the result of the situation. It was the result of forgetting that I had a choice in how I showed up.

One day, early in my career, everything felt off before the day even started. I was tired. I was behind. My mind wasn’t in the right place. And the specifics didn’t matter—anyone who’s worked long stretches knows days like that. That morning, I caught myself rehearsing a negative attitude before I even walked through the door. It was like I had already decided how the day would go.

But then I remembered something simple: the day hadn’t actually happened yet. My reaction was happening before the situation. So right there, standing in the hallway, I stopped and asked myself who I wanted to be once I walked in. Not how I felt. Who I wanted to be. That shift changed the entire day.

Choosing your attitude doesn’t erase stress. It doesn’t magically fix problems. But it gives you something more valuable: direction. You stop being pushed around by the moment. You stop letting circumstance dictate your behavior. Instead, you anchor yourself. And from that place, everything else becomes easier to handle.

I’ve seen this again and again in my work. The person with the calmest presence in the room usually has the most influence, even if they aren’t the one with the highest title. There’s something powerful about someone who refuses to match chaos with chaos. They create space for others to breathe. They steady the energy around them. And without saying it, they give permission for everyone else to rise instead of spiral.

Adopting that mindset isn’t about pretending you don’t feel pressure. It’s about acknowledging it and choosing your response anyway. Some of the strongest people I’ve worked with weren’t calm because their jobs were easy. They were calm because their attitude wasn’t up for negotiation.

That approach has changed the way I navigate everything. When something goes wrong, I try to slow down instead of react fast. When communication breaks, I try to respond instead of escalate. When a problem appears, I try to look at it before letting emotion take over. These are simple actions, but simple doesn’t mean easy. Controlling your attitude requires constant awareness.

I used to think inner stability was something people either had or didn’t. But now I see it as a skill. Something you build through repetition. You practice it in small moments until it becomes part of who you are in larger ones. And the more you practice, the more you notice yourself changing.

Outside of work, this mindset has helped me understand relationships better, handle stress more efficiently, and stay grounded when life shifts unexpectedly. Even on the hardest days, I know I can choose the energy I bring. And that small freedom is sometimes the only anchor I need.

In a world where everything moves fast and unpredictably, attitude becomes one of the few things no one can take from you. You can lose opportunities. You can face setbacks. Plans can fall apart overnight. But the way you respond—that stays yours.

These days, I try to walk into every situation with a simple question: “Who do I want to be in this moment?” The answer isn’t always the same. But the awareness keeps me steady. It reminds me that my attitude can make the difference between being overwhelmed by the day or rising with it.

I don’t always get it right. No one does. But every time I choose steadiness when it would be easier to choose frustration, I feel myself becoming stronger. Every time I choose patience instead of panic, I become someone I trust more. And every time I choose clarity over chaos, the day gets lighter.

Freedom doesn’t come from perfect circumstances. It comes from the ability to shape your inner world no matter what the outer one looks like. That’s a freedom worth protecting. It’s also a freedom worth practicing.