Choose Your Attitude

Having a positive mental attitude is responsible for up to 90 per cent of your success in life. So, do you really have a choice when it comes to your attitude?

Take Stock

You can choose your attitude and change it if you want to. First, become aware of whether or not your attitude is serving you well. Grade your attitude on a scale of 1–10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent. It’s very likely that if you were playing life at a 10 when you needed to, you would end up getting the results you want more often.

Every meeting represents an opportunity for success, so make sure the attitude you project is a positive one.

Who Allows You to Be Successful?

Are you caught in the trap of waiting for someone to give you permission before you try something new? Do you no longer know what you really think because you are so used to being told what you should think? If so, you need to start looking for what you want in life.

Stand Out

To be outstanding you have to stand out. Don’t hold back from attempting things just because you are concerned about what other people might think or say. Sometimes you have to go against the flow in order to be successful, and that might mean opposing your friends and family. You will rarely get hand-outs from your competitors, whether on the playing field or in the workplace. You are the one who has to put the extra effort into whatever you want to achieve.

Case Study: Seizing the Opportunity

François and Jean-Paul were salesmen for two shoe companies travelling to a developing country in search of new markets. As soon as François got off the plane he noticed that hardly anyone was wearing shoes. He immediately booked the next flight home. Jean-Paul noticed the same thing and couldn’t believe his luck. He phoned his office to tell them that they should consider employing more factory workers to help with the increased demand that he was going to generate.

• François believed that because no one was wearing shoes, it would be almost impossible to sell any. He chose to play at a low grade on the attitude scale, resulting in a missed opportunity for him and his organization.

• Jean-Paul was playing higher up on the attitude scale and all he could see in the same situation was a great opportunity.

• The opportunity was all about having a positive attitude and being open to thinking big.

Take a Positive View

The people who seem to be on a roll are those who usually have a positive attitude and expect things to turn out right for them. A strong, “can do” attitude will:

• Help you to move forward in pursuit of your goals

• Allow you to take action

• Help you to identify reasons why you can do something, rather than why you can’t.

If you change the way you look at things, the things that you look at will change. If you expect others to treat you badly, you will attract people who do. This will reinforce your poor attitude about your relationships and you will continue to have low expectations of them. You may even start to believe that you are not worthy of a happy, loving, and fulfilling relationship.

What Drives Your Attitude?

Your beliefs are responsible for your attitude and are key to changing it. Imagine a plant: your beliefs are the roots that support it, the stem represents your attitude, and the flowerhead is the result you achieve.

For example, if you have a strong belief that you should never quit, this will drive your attitude and you will usually achieve your goals. Your attitude will be healthy and strong and will allow you to regard difficulties as opportunities to learn and as part of the process on your way to success. Your beliefs control how you see and interact with the world, so changing a belief has an impact on your attitude, which, in turn, affects your results.

To learn any new skill may take time, but keeping a positive attitude helps you stay focused and makes the process more enjoyable.

Programme Yourself for Future Success

Your subconscious mind stores everything that comes into your conscious mind. A conscious thought repeated over a period of time is laid down in your subconscious. Knowing how your subconscious mind works is helpful when programming your mind for future success. If you are always unpunctual, it’s likely that your subconscious mind is holding the thought that you are never on time. This thought then encourages you to find things to do that sabotage your punctuality.

Think Smart

Changing your attitude to your job is easier than changing your job. If you focus on all the good things your job has to offer, it will make it a lot easier to do.

Meanwhile, if you really do believe that your job isn’t the right long-term prospect for you, you could be studying for extra qualifications to help you acquire a better job. You might even end up being promoted because your attitude is so good – in which case, your new job might be one that you enjoy.