Callahan's Attitude Control

In 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and floating alone in an inflatable life raft. He didn’t have many supplies left and his chances at survival were dwindling.  But when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later (the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck on a life raft alone), he was alive – granted he was skinnier than he was when he started, but alive.


He kept himself going when all hope seemed lost, when there seemed no point in continuing the struggle. He was starved, dehydrated and thoroughly exhausted. Giving up would have seemed the only sane option. But he didn’t.  In his book, Adrift, this is what he wrote: "I tell myself I can handle it. Compared to what others have been through, I'm fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over, building up fortitude..."

Wow – talk about attitude control!

The lesson here is that no matter how bad our circumstances others have been through much worse. It may be hard to do, but if we stop and realize how lucky we are and what we do have, it keeps us sane-even in the midst of crisis. So whatever you're going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Tell it to yourself over and over; use positive affirmations about your situation. It will help you get through the rough spots with a little more strength and peace.He had only three pounds of food and eight pints of water, a solar still and a makeshift spear.  When his raft sprung a leak, he was able to keep it afloat and fix the leak, pumping up the raft continually for 33 more days until his rescue. During his two-plus months at sea, Callahan traveled approximately 1,800 miles and survived shark attacks.