Attitude Is Everything

1. Attitude is the Lens Through Which You See the World

Attitudes are a secret power working 24 hours a day, for good or bad.

Mental Filter. Your attitude acts as a filter through which you experience life. A positive attitude allows you to see opportunities and solutions, while a negative attitude focuses on problems and limitations. This filter colors your perceptions and influences your reactions to the same events.

Clean Your Window. Everyone starts with a clean mental window, but life throws dirt on it in the form of criticism, rejection, and disappointments. It's your responsibility to clean that window regularly by choosing a positive outlook. This involves consciously removing the grime of negativity and focusing on the good.

Control Your Attitude. Even in the face of adversity, you have the power to choose your attitude. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, demonstrated that even in the most horrific circumstances, individuals can choose their response. This choice is a fundamental freedom that determines the quality of your life.

2. Your Thoughts Shape Your Reality

We become what we think about.

Law of Dominant Thought. Your dominant thoughts propel you in the direction of your goals. If you constantly think about a particular goal, you'll take steps to move toward it. Conversely, dwelling on negative outcomes will hinder your progress.

Human Magnet. Like a human magnet, you attract opportunities and circumstances that align with your beliefs. If you believe you're capable of earning $50,000 per year, you'll attract employment opportunities that move you in that direction. However, if you doubt your ability, you'll block the flow of money to you.

Change Your Thinking. To change your results, you must change your thoughts. Become aware of your internal dialogue and replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Read uplifting literature and listen to motivational audio programs to reinforce positive beliefs.

3. Visualize Success to Achieve It

You must first clearly see a thing in your mind before you can do it.

Mental Movies. Visualization involves creating "movies of the mind" or inner pictures of your desired outcomes. These mental images influence your actions and help you create life situations that correspond to your vision. World-class athletes use imagery to reinforce how they want to perform.

Take Responsibility. You are in control of your own mental movies. If you don't consciously decide which pictures to play, your mind will replay old, often negative, movies from your past. It's important to update and revise these movies to reflect your current goals and aspirations.

Create New Pictures. Form a picture in your mind in which you're confidently giving your presentation. The audience members are listening to your every word. You look sharp. Your delivery is smooth. You tell a funny story and the audience is laughing. At the end, you get a warm round of applause. People come up afterward to congratulate you. Do you see how these kinds of mental images can help you to become a better speaker?

4. Commitment is the Key to Overcoming Obstacles

What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.

Willingness to Do Whatever It Takes. Commitment means being willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish your objective, excluding illegal, unethical, or harmful actions. This mental attitude involves taking as many steps as necessary, regardless of the number involved.

Magic of Commitment. When you make a commitment, you begin to attract the people and circumstances necessary to achieve your goal. Doors will unexpectedly open, and you'll meet people you never could have planned to meet. This is not an overnight process; you must be active and seize the opportunities as they appear.

Never Give Up. Life will test your commitment with obstacles, setbacks, and disappointments. It's important to follow the wisdom of Winston Churchill, who said: "Never, never, never give up." Overcome temporary defeats and triumph by remaining committed to your goal.

5. Problems are Opportunities in Disguise

Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.

Flip Side of Difficulty. A "problem" is often not a problem at all, but an opportunity. It may point out an adjustment you can make to improve certain conditions in your life. Without the problem, you never would have taken this positive action.

Finding the Benefit. Look for the benefits and lessons that come out of difficult experiences. A problem may lead to a new job, a better relationship, or a deeper appreciation for life. The positives are there if you look for them.

How Adversity Serves Us. Adversity can give us perspective, teach us to be grateful, bring out our hidden potential, encourage us to make changes, teach us valuable lessons, open a new door, and build confidence and self-esteem. By focusing on these benefits, you can turn problems into opportunities for growth.

6. Your Words Create Your World

The words you consistently select will shape your destiny.

Thoughts, Words, Beliefs, Actions, Results. Your thoughts influence your words, which reinforce your beliefs, which drive your actions, which determine your results. Positive words lead to positive beliefs and outcomes, while negative words reinforce negative beliefs and results.

Power of Positive Language. Use positive self-talk as often as possible. Avoid negative phrases like "I can't" or "It's impossible." Instead, repeat to yourself that you can and will accomplish your goal.

Words and Emotions. Choose words that heighten positive emotions and lower the intensity of negative emotions. Instead of saying "I'm angry," try "I'm peeved." In place of declaring that you "feel okay," try "I feel phenomenal!"

7. Choose Positivity in Every Interaction

Your day goes the way the corners of your mouth turn.

How Are You? Your response to the question "How are you?" can shape your attitude. Negative responses like "Lousy" or "Terrible" reinforce negativity, while positive responses like "Terrific" or "Fantastic" project a positive attitude.

Join the Positive Group. If you find yourself using negative or mediocre responses, consider revising your response and joining the ranks of the positive. This simple change can have a significant impact on your attitude and your interactions with others.

Act As If. Even if you don't feel terrific, respond with energy and enthusiasm that you're Great! or Terrific! Apply the act-as-if principle and you'll find that you have, in fact, become more positive.

8. Stop Complaining and Start Acting

Troubles, like babies, grow larger by nursing.

Nobody Likes a Complainer. Complaining is counterproductive and turns people off. It reinforces your own pain and discomfort and diverts you from constructive actions you could be taking to improve your situation.

Keep Things in Perspective. Complainers lack perspective and tend to blow their problems out of proportion. Develop a sense of what's truly important in life and focus on the blessings you have.

Be a Source of Positive News. Rather than complaining, focus your attention and energy on those steps you can take to solve or lessen your problem. Make your conversations uplifting and be a joy to be around.

9. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences

A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.

Toxic vs. Nourishing People. Toxic people are negative and drain your energy, while nourishing people are positive and supportive. Choose to spend your time with nourishing people who lift your spirits and inspire you to achieve your goals.

Smokey's Sponge Theory. Human beings are like sponges: We "soak up" whatever people around us are saying. Surround yourself with positive people to soak up their positivity and improve your attitude.

Evaluate Your Friendships. Evaluate your friendships from time to time and limit or eliminate your involvement with negative friends. This may sound harsh, but it's essential for your own well-being and success.

10. Confront Your Fears to Grow

Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.

Willing to Be Uncomfortable. To achieve your goals and realize your potential, you must be willing to be uncomfortable and do things that you're afraid to do. That's how you develop your potential.

Comfort Zone. Each of us has a comfort zone, a zone of behavior that is familiar to us and where we feel comfortable and safe. To grow, you must step outside your comfort zone and confront your fears.

Reframe the Situation. Consider yourself an immediate winner when you take the step and do the thing you fear. You're a winner just by entering the arena and participating, regardless of the result.

11. Embrace Failure as a Stepping Stone

Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again.

Failure is Inevitable. Successful people have learned to "fail" their way to success. They recognize failure as a necessary part of the road to victory and persist through difficulties.

Learn from Your Mistakes. Your failures are learning experiences that point out the adjustments you must make. Never try to hide from failure, for that approach guarantees that you'll take virtually no risks and achieve very little.

Never Give Up. The only time success is impossible is when you quit. Quitting is final, but continued attempts, with commitment and diligence, can be turned into success.

12. Network to Multiply Your Opportunities

You can get everything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.

Power of Networking. Networking is a way to leverage your own efforts and accelerate the pace at which you get results. The more solid relationships you build, the greater your opportunities for success.

Mutual Benefit. Networking involves the development of relationships with people for mutual benefit. It's about helping others get what they want so that you can get what you want.

Project a Winning Attitude. When it comes to networking, attitude is everything! If you're positive and enthusiastic, people will want to spend time with you and help you.

Last updated: February 5, 2025