F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- What comes to mind when you hear the words, "missile base?" Fear? Panic? Uncertainty? or all of the above? Many first term Airmen find themselves overwhelmed with the news they will be coming to a missile base, or at least I did.

How many of us actually knew where Cheyenne, Wyo., was? Whether this applies to you or not, we can agree if you simply alter your attitude and mindset for the better, you will benefit from it greatly.

One of the most important steps you can take toward achieving your greatest potential in life is to learn to monitor your attitude and its impact on your life. This is not just to give you an Airmen's perspective of a missile base, but also to hopefully give you some insight and advice I have acquired over my 11 months at F.E. Warren. Hopefully this will inspire, influence and motivate you to do more and be more.

First and foremost, congratulations! You have been assigned to a missile base. You will soon discover the opinions associated with this base and the mission itself. You have two choices: you can either fall victim to negative opinions and let them weigh you down or you can brush them off and press on.

Always remember life is what you make of it. Overcome that negativity with positive thoughts. Positive thoughts lead to positive results. An author named James Allen could not have said it better: "Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him."

In life, you will have tough times. It is inevitable. However, what matters is how you let them affect you. We are who we chose to be. We create our own realities. If you choose to go around mad at the world because nothing is going your way, you will notice a pattern of negative occurrences that will continue to happen. It's amazing that if we just alter our mindset, new and wonderful things will start to happen. There is truly power in positive thinking.

Ever hear the saying, "Idle hands do the devil's work?" This means you are more likely to get into trouble or find something to do that is not in your best interest when you have a lot of time on your hands. It's only logical that people with their own productive work will be less likely to fall victim to troublesome ways.

Keep in mind, any type of change is uncomfortable in one way or another, but imagine the opportunities that lie in wait for us to discover them. It's all a matter of getting out of your comfort zone.

Eleanor Roosevelt explained it perfectly, saying, "Do one thing every day that scares you."

Visualize the wonderful possibilities that would surface if we practiced this simple action. Nothing is ever truly gained if there is comfort in what we do. We must then challenge ourselves daily in order to prosper and mature.

A wise man once told me, "Attitude is everything." If we learn to embrace the situations that come our way - whether they are good or bad - and deal with them in a positive manner, we will be pleasantly surprised at how great of an impact it has on our lives.

Life has its ups and downs, but always remember there is always someone who has it just a little worse than you. Count your blessings instead of your problems.

Attitude may be what keeps you going or what cripples your progress, it alone will refuel the fire within or assaults your hope.

Charles R. Swindoll put it this way: "We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."

Whether life gives you orders to a dream location during your Air Force career or sends you to a missile base that is located in the heart of Wyoming, never underestimate the impact your attitude will have on your life and the people around you.