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While
it is possible for people with great talent or drive to achieve with a bad attitude,
it doesn't happen very often, and it takes an incredible amount of effort. And
even if they do achieve some degree of success, they aren't happy. (And they make
the people around them miserable too.) Most often, people with bad attitudes don't
get very far in life. On
the other hand, even barely average people can do great things when their attitudes
are great. In The Winner's Edge, Denis Waitley observed, "The winner's
edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all
in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success. But you
can't buy an attitude for a million dollars. Attitudes are not for sale."1 Here's
why attitude makes such a difference as you approach your day: Your
Attitude at the Beginning of a Task Affects Its Outcome More Than Anything Else You've
heard the phrase "All's well that ends well." Here's another that I
believe is equally true: All's well that begins well! Look at successful people
and you'll see that they embraced this truth, whether it's a doctor going into
surgery, a coach readying his team for a game, a pastor preparing a sermon, or
a businessperson entering negotiations before a big deal. The confident person
increases his chances for success. The pessimist invites the negative outcome
he expects. What
is your attitude at the beginning of a new experience? Are you excited, cautious,
or negative? Are there particular experiences that cause you to feel negative?
If those experiences are areas critical to your success, then you need to make
an adjustment in your attitude. Charlie Wetzel, who works with me on my books,
recently underwent a change in attitude in his thinking concerning the process
of editing. Charlie believes that most people in writing and publishing naturally
gravitate to either writing or editing. He is a writer and has never particularly
enjoyed the editing process. It reminds him of when he graded students' papers
as an English composition teacher. Recently,
when we were working on my book There's No Such Thing as "Business"
Ethics, he received the edited manuscript from the publisher and was asked
to review it, check the editor's changes, verify facts, etc. It's a process he
normally hates because he thinks it takes time away from the writing he should
be doing. But this time, he decided to change his attitude as he approached the
task. Rather than performing the task in short blocks of time during afternoons
(mornings are prime writing times), he blocked off an entire week just for editing,
and he looked at the task as an opportunity to refine the manuscript and take
it to the next level. As a result, the job was more enjoyable and the results
were more effective. When
you approach a task — especially an important one you don't relish — fix your
mind on the facts, not on your feelings. Focus on the possibilities, not the problems.
That will put your attitude on the right track. And if it starts on the right
track, it's more likely to end up at the right destination. Your
Attitude Toward Others Often Determines Their Attitude Toward You A
mother and her adult daughter were out shopping one day, trying to make the most
of a big sale weekend before Christmas. As they went from store to store in the
mall, the older woman complained about everything: the crowds, the poor quality
of the merchandise, the prices, and her sore feet. After the mother experienced
a particularly difficult interaction with a clerk in one department store, she
turned to her daughter and said, "I'm never going back to that store again.
Did you see that dirty look she gave me?" The
daughter answered, "She didn't give it to you, Mom. You had it when you went
in!" When
we interact with others, our attitudes often set the tone for how we treat one
another. Smile at people when you greet them and they often smile back. Act combative,
and they are likely to snap back at you. If you want to enjoy mostly pleasant
interaction with people as you go through your day, treat others well. It works
more often than not. Your
Attitude Can Give You a Winner's Perspective On
June 28, 1959, Joe Louis defended his heavyweight boxing title against Tony "Two-Ton"
Galento in Yankee Stadium. Galento wasn't a particularly talented fighter, but
he could take a punch and he was a big hitter. In the second round, Loius knocked
Galento down and seemed to be controlling the fight. But in the third round, Galento
knocked the champ down. Louis immediately jumped back to his feet and went after
his opponent. When Louis went to his corner, his trainer chastised him: "You
know you're supposed to take the full count when you go down. Why didn't you stay
down for nine?" "What!"
answered Louis, "and give him a chance to rest?" Louis pummeled Galento
so badly in the fourth round that the referee stopped the fight. In
today's competitive culture, everybody is looking for an edge. Top athletes and
top businesspeople alike know that all things being equal — attitude wins. But
this is also true: All things not being equal, attitude sometimes still wins.
Possessing a great attitude is like having a secret weapon. Your
Attitude — Not Your Achievements — Gives You Happiness Samuel
Johnson, the eighteenth-century poet and critic, stated, "He who has so little
knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own
disposition, will waste his life in fruitless efforts and multiply the grief which
he purposes to remove." He understood that contentment was generated internally,
based on attitude. The
thoughts in your mind will always be more important than the things in your life.
Fame and fortune are fleeting. The satisfaction that comes from achievement is
momentary. The author of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes observed, "He
who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance,
with increase."2 You cannot buy or win happiness. You
must choose it. Your
Attitude Is Contagious While
it's true that you choose your attitude, you also need to keep in mind that the
choices you make influence other people around you. In the Law of the Bad Apple
in The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, I explain, Several things on a team are not contagious. Talent. Experience.
Willingness to practice. But you can be sure of one thing: Attitude is catching.
When someone on the team is teachable and his humility is rewarded by improvement,
others are more likely to display similar characteristics. When a leader is upbeat
in the face of discouraging circumstances, others admire that quality and want
to be like her. When a team member displays a strong work ethic and begins to
have a positive impact, others imitate him . . . People have a tendency to adopt
the attitudes of those they spend time with-to pick up on their mind-set, beliefs,
and approaches to challenges.3 One
of my mentors, Fred Smith, once told me there are two kinds of people in any organization:
polluters and purifiers. Polluters are like smokestacks, belching out dirty smoke
all the time. They hate clear skies, and no matter how good it gets, they can
find a way to make it gloomy. When the people around them in the organization
"breathe" their toxins, they feel sicker and sicker. Purifiers, on the
other hand, make everything around them better. It doesn't matter what kind of
rotten atmosphere they encounter. They take in the toxic words of polluters in
the organization just as everyone else does, but they filter the words before
passing them on. What goes in may be gloomy and negative, but when it comes back
out, it's fresh and clear. When
you spend time with others, do they walk away feeling better or worse? Do you
clear the air, giving them a fresh perspective and positive encouragement? Or
do they go away feeling gloomy? Watch how people respond to you, and you'll know
which kind of person you are. The
bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities.
Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists. Believing in yourself
increases your chances of success. Looking for the positive in every situation
helps you see opportunities that you would otherwise miss. Being positive with
people prompts them to be positive with you — and individuals who interact well
with others have a leg up on people who don't. I can't think of one legitimate
criticism of positive thinking. It's all good. ___________________ From
the book TODAY MATTERS: 12 Daily Practices to
Guarantee Tomorrow's Success by John C. Maxwell. Copyright ©2004 by John C.
Maxwell. Reprinted by permission of Warner Books, Inc. New York, NY. Click
here to learn more about this and other resourses. ___________________ Notes 1. Denis Waitley, The Winner's Edge
(New York: Berkley, 1983).
2. Ecclesiastes 5:10 NKJV.
3.
John C. Maxwell, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork (Nashville: Thomas
Nelson, 2001), 107-8. ___________________ John
C. Maxwell is a best-selling author, popular speaker and the founder of Maximum
Impact (www.maximumimpact.com).
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