Okay, it happened to me again. I found myself getting sucked into all the doom and gloom talk that is out there. I have carried the label of optimism with me for as long as I can remember but there have been times in my life I have lost my sense of hope and fallen victim to all the naysayers out there. However, I have been able to pull myself out of the dark hole time and time again due to the fact that when I find myself feeling negative I find something positive to read or listen to so that I can break the negative cycle. As Zig Ziglar says, ” Motivation is like taking a bath, you need it daily.” I could not agree more with that quote and I can tell you that when you read or listen to something positive your attitude will change. This is the key point I want to make is that your attitude is everything and if you want your life to be great then you need to start with attitude!

Attitudes of successful people

I. I can attitude

I played sports as a kid and there were numerous times that I would tell my mom that I just can’t do it and almost every time I remember my mom telling me that if I set my mind to it I could accomplish anything. You know of course at the time I was like “right mom, whatever!” However, after reflecting back on the things I have accomplished in my life so far she was absolutely right. Sure I have had failures but when I believed I could do something I went after it and did it. If you have “I Can’t” in your mind and vocabulary you will never reach the potential that you are capable of reaching. 

II. Long term outlook

We are a “I needed it yesterday society.” All too often I hear people say well I tried to do it for a couple of weeks and it did not work out. As the saying goes, “Rome was not built in a day” well neither is long term success. If you were to study people who have had great success you will notice that it did not come over night. It also did not come without setbacks and hard work. So, if you set your attitude to thinking long term you will not be disappointed if it doesn’t happen overnight.

III. Being flexible is key

This is pretty self explanatory. If you are too rigid and not willing to adapt to the situations around then success is going to be hard to come by. When times get tough, and trust me they will, you need to have a positive attitude. Your attitude will be the determining factor in how well you weather the storm.

IV. Turn away from yourself and help others

I have found that one of the most gratifying times in my life is when I have focused on helping others and putting their needs ahead of mine. Numerous times I have had a great sense of satisfaction after seeing one of my clients reach their goals. After seeing success from someone you helped it creates a positive vibe and attitude that allows you continue to help others and make an impact in this world.

So, if you are falling into that trap of negativity then focus on those four strategies above to keep you thinking positive. Let me tell you the longer you stay in that vacuum of negativity and let others influence you with negativity then you will squander opportunities to be successful. Remember you have a choice and I hope you choose to implement these strategies to get you moving in the right direction .