HOW TO DEVELOP A WINNING ATTITUDE
What does it take in our everyday lives to be successful? In order
to evaluate this question it is first necessary to understand what
"success" is and what all successful people have in common. It is
probably safe to assume that anyone reading this article wants to be
successful. However, only 5% of the population will ever reach their
potential for all activities, 95% of the people will never truly be
successful. By definition, success is the realization of a worthy
deal. Success is different for every individual. For some people,
an annual income of $25,000 would be a success, for another it may
be $125,000. Whatever it may be for you, there are 5 characteristics
that you must have in common with other successful people in order
to achieve true success.
Goals are the single most important factor in achieving success.
Without a realistic goal, how will you ever know when you have reached
your success level. All successful people set goals. All goals must
be realistic, short term, measurable and obtainable within the bounds
of your own perception. As time passes, your goals can always be adjusted
upward to reach your ultimate goal of success. However, if your initial
goal is to be worth $1,000,000 by the year end and you are currently
only worth $100,000 with an annual income of $50,000 a year and this
is November, you most likely will never be able to reach it and therefore,
it is unrealistic. Biting off a job in small portions makes the eventual
achievement of the total task seem easier and manageable. All successful
people constantly set goals, re-evaluate their goals and scale them
upward toward even greateraccomplishments.
A positive attitude is the second factor that successful people
have in common. I have never met a truly successful person who I would
consider a "self made" success that did not have a positive attitude.
These people relate to the world on a positive basis. They always
look for the "can do" not the "can not do" side of every situation.
"If you think you can or if you think you can't, you're right." All
successful people truly believe not only in themselves, but in the
reality of their goals. A positive attitude is contagious and when
it is sincere, the people with whom you come in contact will relate
to you and your activities with a vitality and positive attitude that
causes a winning, successful environment.
The truth is always best to deal with for several reasons, not the
least important of which is that it is always the easiest to remember.
If you are going to be successful, you will not have time, energy and
ability to remember untruths, or lies that you have told people. This
consumes valuable energy and detracts from the power needed to run
a successful life. The truth is easy to remember and generally, in
the long term, easier to deal with. True winners are always ready
to face the truth in situations and handle things as they deal with
them on a timely basis and then proceed to get on with the business
of running a successful, prosperous life. Never having to back track
to cover up problem areas.
Research and Development in today's society have become extremely
important to all major corporations. This is where all new products
and ideas evolve. Successful individuals have always understood this
principal on a personal level and they constantly strive to improve
their own abilities through such methods as formal educational systems,
seminars, reading books, listening to ideas the thoughts of others,
and in any manner that presents itself to them. Successful people
truly believe they can improve themselves and constantly strive to
seek methods and means that will help them accomplish this task. They
also know that there is a price to pay for this success and the return
on investment is sometimes great and sometimes small, but that the
return without the investment is always the same "0".
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is
the probable reason why so few engage in it."
Henry Ford
Man's ability over all other creatures on this Earth is the ability
to think. All successful people use this talent to improve their lives
and control their own destiny. Only you can take the initial step
toward the unleashing of the power within your own mind. The power
is awesome and at times can be frightening. However, man has abilities
of the mind that many people can not or would not believe. Anthony
Robbins has recently written a book entitled "Unlimited Power" which
explains in simple terms the theories of Neuro Linguistic Programming,
the power of the mind and how to gain control and use it. NLP was
originally developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler as a communication
system using the central nervous system. Through this system Mr. Robbins
has put forth a complete outline on how to unleash your "performance
power" and achieve goals that before you probably felt were impossible.
The first step in using your true mental abilities is understanding
what Mr. Robbins refers to as the seven triggering mechanisms that
is sure success.
- Passion - All truly successful people such as Lee Iacocca have
a driving force within them that sets them apart from others. A desire,
an energy that gives them the fuel to reach their true potential.
This force is a part of them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It
never subsides. Their total existence is sustained for the fulfillment
of their goals. The passion within this individual to achieve has
been so deeply implanted, that their mental power is driven by this
force and will not let them do anything other than achieve.
- Belief - "They can because they think they can"-Virgil. You will
only make $100,000 this year if you first believe you can. If you
do not believe you can you are telling yourself you want it, but it
is truly not obtainable. The truth of life is that man's limits are
self imposed by what the mind is given to believe. If you expand your
belief of your own abilities, you will also expand your true realm
of accomplishment. A man of whom all are aware, lived his life with
adversity, but he constantly believed he could achieve.
Failed in business at age 31
Was defeated in a legislative race at age 32
Failed again in business at age 34
Overcome death of sweetheart at age 35
Had a nervous breakdown at age 36
Lost an election at age 38
Lost a congressional race at age 43
Lost a congressional race at age 46
Lost a congressional race at age 48
Lost a Senatorial race at age 55
Failed to become Vice President at age 56
Lost a Senatorial race at age 58
Was elected President of the United States at age 60
With all the adversity that faced him, President Abraham Lincoln
had no reason to continually try other than the fact that he believed
it was his destiny and measure of success to accomplish this task.
"Man is what he believes" -Anton Checkhov
3. Strategy - A strategy is your game plan of life. The road map
you will use to accomplish your goals, ambitions and desires. Just
to believe you can earn $100,000 a year is not enough, you must design
a strategy that gives your life direction and navigates you toward
success. The key to strategy is to design a proper strategy to achieve
your success without the detours of life, to find the shortest distance
between two points.
4. Clarity of Values - Man must first determine which things in life
are most valuable to him. He must determine his feeling about such
things as patriotism, pride, love, freedom, excellence, ownership and
tolerance. These are values in society, the moral, ethical and fundamental
judgements that we, as individuals, deem important. Without a clear
system of values for ourselves, it is impossible to believe in something
with a passion that has no value to us. Once we have established our
individual value system we are then able to determine how we can achieve
success based on our priority of values. What must we five up in one
hand to accomplish what we desire on the other. Without a value system
we can never move forward for we may be trading without increasing
our potential for success.
5. Energy - Without the physical vitality to take action, nothing
would ever come of our system to this point. The passion could build,
our belief of accomplishment could be overwhelming, we could have the
best strategy or map to achieve the ultimate value for our own life,
but if not for taking the first step, nothing could ever be accomplished.
Great success cannot be separated from physical, spiritual and mental
energy that allows us, compels us, to accomplish the most with what
we have to work with. Physical energy comes from the strength of the
body itself fueled by our intake of nourishment. It is therefore important
that we fuel our engine with premium fuel (good eating habits), not
low grade regular (junk food). Our spiritual and intellectual energy
evolves from our environment and it is therefore important that we
assess our own personal environment to maximize the energy that we
can obtain.
6. Bonding Power - We have all known people that have exhibited the
ability to get along with anyone and everyone. The ability to be a
chameleon is truly the ability to connect with and bond with others.
The ability to build rapport. Being able to deal with others as Mr.
Robbins says "To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are
all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding
as a guide to our communication with others." To be able to understand
the...
7. Mastery of Communication - To take charge and run your own mind.
To learn the techniques of NLP and no longer allow our mind to run
our lives, but rather take charge of our own mental abilities and cause
them to work for our own accomplishment of success.
"There is only one Success - to be able to
spend your life in your own way." - Christopher M
orley
