Attitude Is Everything

When I was president of a large manufacturing company I used to have weekly meetings with my staff. Sometimes I would start the meeting by asking, “What attitude are you bringing to this meeting?” Without the right attitude, usually very little is accomplished. At first when I asked the question, I saw mostly puzzled looks. Generally, people do not have much awareness of their attitude or realize how it affects their ability to think rationally or creatively. It affects how they think and how they communicate and work with others. Until there was an attitude adjustment, it was a mistake for me to continue the meeting. It was a waste of time and energy.

In his book “Attitude Is Everything,” Jeff Keller describes his findings after researching why some people are successful while others only have disappointing results. His main conclusion after interviewing hundreds of people is that having the positive, right attitude makes all the difference. It governs the way we perceive the world and the way the world perceives us. It causes us to take full advantage of our opportunities or brings about self-doubt and limits our abilities.

In my guide “Say “Yes” To Your Potential,” (you can download it free at www.sayyes2u.com) I talk about how we make ourselves a P.O.T. (Prisoner of Thought) and how we stay locked behind bars of fear, embarrassment, tradition, social pressure, bad habits, and just playing it safe. It is a prison of our own making and it keeps us captive as sure as a heavily guarded federal prisoner. Attitude is the main ingredient in forming our belief system, and our belief system regulates who we believe we are and what we believe we can accomplish.

Years ago I was involved in conducting seminars and selling training materials written by Paul J. Meyer. This was a man who was a great motivation to me. Whenever Paul entered a room he took over the room with his energy and enthusiasm. Paul felt that there was no goal or obstacle too big. And he had this belief that whenever he would enter into a business or home to prospect or do business, he would imagine the red carpet being rolled out with trumpeters. He would imagine that the prospect couldn’t wait to do business with him and be his friend. He had this sort of attitude about everything and because of that attitude and expectation, his world sort of aligned itself with him. It was not just in business but it was in all areas of his life.

Personally, I do not find it easy to have this attitude and exude this type of confidence. I have to work at it. My personality is reserved. It is natural for me to assess people and situations, take charge, give commands, and get things done. Many times this rubs people the wrong way. This is why I have to consciously take charge of my own attitudes and how I deal with people and situations. When I do, my attitude changes and people are drawn to me for counseling and help with their business and getting their life back on track.

How do we this? How do we take charge of our attitude and bring it under control? I believe that it has several aspects, which help me to develop and have the right attitudes. It is not a one time thing. It takes practice and it takes developing the habit of thinking in the right way. Until we do, we cannot take control of our lives and unleash our incredible potential.

Here are my top 10 ways to develop right attitudes about ourselves, our world, and our life.

1. We have to develop a proper attitude about how we view our world, situation, and those around us. Do we see things positively or negatively? Is the glass half full or half empty? A positive attitude helps us cope more easily with the affairs of life. It brings optimism and makes it easier for us to avoid worry. When we adopt a positive attitude, we experience constructive changes and it brings more happiness and success.

2. We have to develop a genuine care and interest in others. This is a servant leader’s point of view. Do we seek out ways to serve and be a help to those around us? Do we consciously look for needs and find ways that we can meet that need? This servant leadership philosophy and set of practices enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.

3. We have to develop the belief that we are a human magnet that causes people to be drawn to us. Tony Jeary, Mr. Presentation, says that “life is a series of presentations” and we must see ourselves making an inspiring and encouraging presentation whenever we encounter others. This also has to do with being a confident leader. Do people see us as a leader and want to follow us? What qualities of leadership do we have or need to develop? Ask yourself, “Would I be drawn to me?” If not, we have to learn how to develop those qualities of effective leadership that we are lacking. The more effective our leadership, the more people are drawn to us. 

4. We have to develop a commitment to what we set out to do. We need skills to succeed, but we can learn new skills – in fact a positive attitude will make it much more likely that we will learn the new skills and develop confidence. Whether we are committed to learn a new skill or accomplish some other task, we have to attack our responsibilities with great effort and with our whole heart and overcome any obstacle that gets in our way. A halfhearted commitment is no commitment at all. Commitment is like being pregnant; you either are, or you are not. If you are not able to commit to something, it is better to limit your time to what you can be committed to do. Being over committed brings about negative thinking. Developing good controls of our time energizes us and brings positive outcomes.

5. We have to develop the right perspective. Do we see problems, or do with see opportunities in our challenges? We can’t be brought down by the obstacles and situations in our life. We have to see these as opportunities for our personal growth and development. Ask yourself, “What am I suppose to learn through all of this?” This is what experience is all about. With experience, we see things differently. The more we learn about people, life, and circumstances, the better perspective we have. We must develop the attitude that we are not controlled by our circumstances, but rather make wise choices that takes away worry and regret.

6. We have to develop the ability to communicate effectively. Does what we say and how we say it communicate the true meaning in our heart? Our words blaze a path for our life. Our words create and have the power of life or death to situations and people around us. We have to learn how to create life, not death to ideas and circumstances in our life. As leaders we are called upon to communicate the vision, goals, and action plans. Without clarity in our own minds, how will we communicate effectively? We have to develop communications, which bring positive results instead of negative feelings.

7. We have to develop the right attitude about failure. We don’t truly fail until we stop trying. Success is merely a series of failures, analysis, adjustments, and retries. We persist to the very end. Many people are stopped in their tracks because of their fear of failure. Without the right attitude about failure, we will stay in our comfort zone. Outside our comfort zone is where innovation and great achievements are accomplished. Resisting to move outside our comfort zone brings about negative emotions and doubt.

8. We have to develop a positive support system. Do you have a mentor or coach? Every winning team has a good coach. If you want to win, you need to have a good coach to encourage you and help you exceed your own self-imposed limitations. Who are you hanging around with? Do they build you up, encourage you, inspire you to be better, or do they feed your negative thoughts? Winners run with winners. Losers run with other losers. The people in our world will define the positive or negative way we see it.

9. We have to develop a conscious effort of networking and being involved with others. Networking in the right circles gets us the results we need. There are at least five main benefits of networking. 1) Opportunity to share knowledge with others. I learn something new every time I am networking with others. 2) We become advised of new opportunities and we get great ideas. 3) Exposure to others and making valued connections. This is where winners meet winners. 4) By pushing ourselves to meet new people, we increase our confidence. 5) Being visible and getting noticed raises our profile in the mind of others. All of these things help us to maintain positive attitudes.

10. We have to develop a ritual of seeking divine inspiration and wisdom. By ritual, I mean making it a habit of tapping into sources of spiritual wisdom and inspiration. By reading books on leadership and success and listening to those we respect and who have blazed the trail before us, we become inspired and motivated to be better. Personally, in my quite time, I also find that music and the Bible are great sources for me.

A positive attitude is never automatic; we have to work at it. Having and maintaining a positive attitude is vital for our success in life and in business. Zig Ziglar got it right when he said, “It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.”

A positive attitude – optimism, expectancy, and enthusiasm – will make everything in business and in our life easier. A positive attitude is a stimulus that will pick us up when we are down and energizes us when we are engaged in an activity.

I invite to visit my website at www.life-success-resources.com. Examine the things that bring you down and has a negative impact on your attitudes. Write them down and take an honest look at how you can get back on track. Let me help.

Blessings and Abundance,

Ron Jobe

 

 

Being Filled With Purpose

In the Sower’s Seed, Brian Cavanaugh tells the story of how Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29,1953, Hillary climbed 29,000 feet straight up. At that time Mount Everest was the highest mountain that we knew about. He received many honors because of his accomplishment, including being knighted by the Queen. He even had the opportunity to make several American Express Credit Card commercials. However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don’t understand that Hillary had to grow into this success.

You see, this was not his first time to try. In 1952, he attempted to climb the mountain, but failed. A few weeks later, an organizational group in England asked him to address its members. He walked on stage to a thunderous applause because the audience was recognizing him for his attempt at greatness. However, Edmund Hillary did not see that he had accomplished anything. He saw himself as a failure.

With this going through his mind, he moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain on the wall. He said in a loud voice, “Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I’ll beat you the next time because you’ve grown all you are going to grow…but I’m still growing!”

The world likes to see someone with determination, desire, and willingness to do the impossible. The world makes room for a person of purpose. When a person with purpose speaks, their words and actions demonstrate that they know where they are going and people want to follow a leader.

We are built to conquer circumstances, solve problems, and attain goals. This is our destiny. We will find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer, goals to achieve, and a purpose to accomplish. Life is an arena and we are the warriors. We have to fight for what is ours and we have overcome anything that gets in our way.
 
But, maybe you don’t see yourself in that way. Maybe you see yourself as a slave, not as a master. As soon as you resign yourself to this attitude and leave your future to luck, your resignation to the consequences is promptly accepted. If your method is “hit or miss,” you’ll usually miss. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” ― Henry Ford. You are who you say you are and you will conquer what you set out to conquer. Of course, that is if you have purpose, desire, and willing to persevere through the obstacles in your way. But, if you are afraid to even get in game, you are sure to lose.

Don’t be the type of person who doesn’t know where you’re going. The truth is you are on your way to somewhere, nonetheless. Know where you want to be. You must set the course, man the wheel, fight the waves, and reach your goal.

Growth for the sake of growth is meaningless. There are three types of people. The loser looks back. The wanderer looks around, but the winner looks forward. Go forward with definite purpose. With purpose, you can choose positive actions every day that will help you feel contented and fulfilled, and that will help you feel hopeful and excited to get up every morning.

Once your purpose is clear, decisions will jump at you. As W. Clement Stone said, “When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand up on you because it will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.”
 
People say they want riches, but what they really need is fulfillment of a purpose. I’m encouraged by George Elliott, who said, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” In your heart there is a sleeping lion called purpose. Awake and roar.

I invite you to visit my website at: http://www.life-success-resources.com. Register for immediate access to my free guide on how to say “yes” to your full potential. If you want to talk, call me at 866-801-8387.