Attitude; That small thing that makes all the difference

It’s our attitude towards life which will determine life’s attitude toward us. We shape our own lives and the different shapes it attains will be determined by our attitudes.

A person with a poor attitude towards other people for example isn’t going to make many friends until he changes his attitude. If we take that attitude that we cannot do something , generally we will not do it . That’s an attitude of failure .

Henry Ford put it this way.

Whether you think you can or you can’t either way your right.

A person with a good attitude towards life in general is going to accomplish so much in life as long as he keeps up that attitude. If we take the attitude that we can do something , generally we will do it . Nothing will be able to stop a determined mind. Now that’s an attitude of success.

This article is not trying to tell you how to live your life. That’s none of my business nor is it anybody else’s business , that is your business . This article is simply a submission of many years of research , one one subject .Why do some people do so well in life while so many more don’t ?

And the answer lies in a simple eight lettered word, ATTITUDE.

Attitude definition

Attitude refers to subconsciously settled way of thinking that determines how someone will react to different situations, people and life in general.

Since it is subconscious, most times you don’t even think twice before doing something, it seems to happen automatically. For example if one doesn’t like reading, they won’t really read much and therefore won’t learn much in life until they develop a better attitude towards reading and learning.

You don’t need to deliberately decide to do or not to do a particular thing, most of the time your attitude has subconsciously decided what your course of action will be. And therefore it will also determine your behavior in many circumstances.

So then we come to know that what we receive or don’t receive in life, what we accomplish or fail to accomplish can be attributed to our overall attitude towards life.

Things tend to turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

Not the other way round.

Keep your thoughts positive, and your words sweet and encouraging.

Your attitude in life determines how far you will go, who your friends will be, and the kind of life you will have.

Our attitude towards ourselves determines everything

It’s saddening how we are so familiar with ourselves that most times we tend to take ourselves for granted. There’s a way we tend to minimize the things we can accomplish, the goals we can reach, how much we can do for ourselves and others too and for some strange reason believe that others can accomplish things in our field which we cannot.

They are so many people living unhappy, darkened, narrow, wary and frustrated lives, simply because they take a negative and narrow attitude towards themselves , and as a result to towards life in general.

Many people hate change yet change is the one thing in life which we can absolutely count on, whether we accept this or not we shall later find it to be true. People who accomplish big things in life not only welcome change but see it for what it truly is; new opportunity, and new chances for attaining fulfillment in life.

Attitude is a reflection of a person’s mind and feelings and it is incalculably powerful . It can bring about marvelous results in our lives (since it is a result of a person’s will) for us if only we train it patiently day by day.

Now let’s talk about the attitudes of successful people.

Successful people give the impression of sailing smoothly through life from one success to another, even when they fail at something shake it off and head right at it again. These are top five percent of people and what makes them different from others is nothing but attitude.

No matter who these people are, or what they do, men and women in business, sales executives, fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, students, top people in the armed forces, civil servants, religious men and women, working men and women in any fields of endeavor, people in all professions.

 Wherever you find a person doing a great job, giving outstanding service, getting outstanding results, and worthwhile things done, you will find a person with the right kind of attitude.

 These people believe that they can accomplish what they set out to accomplish , that they there is no good reason on earth why they can’t be successful, competent and get what they set out to achieve in life.

Successful people come in all sizes, shapes, colors, characters and in wide varying degrees of intelligence background and so on. But they all have one thing in common ,they are optimistic, they expect more good out of life than bad, they expect to succeed more than they fail and they see no good reason why they can’t get whatever it is they set out to accomplish in life.

They are usually no more outstanding or brilliant than the majority of the people who surround them, but they did develop the right attitude and they found their accomplishments not too difficult and many times surprisingly easy simply because so few people are trying hard enough, and really believing in themselves.

If you really want to accomplish something worthwhile, adopt a positive attitude, an I CAN attitude, that there are more reasons why you can have it and should have it, then they are that you cannot and then set out to go get it. Go after it, work at it diligently, and be serious about it and trust me, i guarantee you, 9 times out of 10 you will get it.

Our surrounding environment is totally a reflection of our mental attitude, if we don’t like our environment we have to change our mental attitude first.

People who are successful have a good attitude towards themselves and as a result towards life in general and the things they want to accomplish. And because of this, they achieve some very remarkable things and society calls them all sorts of names like successful, outstanding, brilliant , lucky and a lot of other things.

The truth is the world plays no favorites, it is impartial, it doesn’t care whether we change or not. Adopting a positive attitude towards life does not affect others nearly as much as it affects us.

It is almost impossible to even estimate the number of jobs which have been lost by different individuals , the number of opportunities and degrees missed, the number of lives lost, the number of failed businesses, the number of marriages broken, the number of sales not made, all because of poor attitudes of people towards their work, relationships and life in general.

And you can number in billions the number of parents and children who fail to understand and even live with each other, the number of marriages which are surviving but unhappy, the number of jobs which are held but hated, the number of businesses failing year after year, all because of people with poor attitudes; people who are waiting for the world, circumstances and other people to change towards them, before they ever even think of changing.

Instead we should become intelligent enough and big enough to at least make a test which will prove where the most of the trouble comes from, and that is in our very own poor attitudes.

Napoleon Hill devoted 25 years of his life to study and research the lives of literally thousands of people who were successful and know how they made it there. He discovered that they radiate confidence and assurance, they expect success and that is exactly what they get. You can spot these people by the the way they look and act, by the way they walk, you can feel it about them when they enter a room. They may be tall and thin, tall and fat, short and fat, short and thin or any combination in between . But all have around them an aura of success.

I want u to bring it to your attention if you don’t know already, that in three years or less you can get to accomplish some remarkable things and move right to the top of the work you are now doing– if you are serious about it, passionate about it and want it bad enough. I know and believe this but that won’t help you much unless you know it and believe it for yourself.

So the important question here is, do you know this and do you believe it ? The minute you do know it ,then you will adopt this right attitude we are taking about.

The most effective (and mark my words i didn’t say easy )means of making a good attitude a habit is to begin to act, behave and carry oneself as though you already have an excellent attitude towards life. Am i asking you to pretend? YES. You got that right, just pretend beginning right now to act, walk and look as though you already have a good, healthy, expectant attitude and soon you will belong to this group.

If you can act, walk, talk and conduct yourself with this positive attitude for 30 days straight, then you can do it for the rest of your life. And there you have it; a good healthy attitude adopted as a habit and a great life for your reality.

If you’re already part of this group- the top five percent , you know what I mean. If you are not, and maybe you have never tried it, you should. The results will be nothing short of amazing. You will watch your life take a complete 360 degree turn for the better in happy disbelief.

 Here’s a bonus little test which you can make and you which will prove beyond any shadow of doubt, if you had any left, that a positive and healthy attitude can change pretty much any one’s life as promptly as walking from a dark room into the bright light of a sunny day.

Sometime back I read a line in somewhere that went “life is dull only to dull people”, and this is very true and it gave me many different ideas like “life is successful only to successful people” or “life is pleasant only to pleasant people”. Now what am trying to pass across is that Life is what you make it. You must first become in your mind, that you wish to achieve before you can see it in your life.

It all starts in the mind.

Bill gates was once interviewed by a reporter who asked “When did you consider yourself successful ?”, he replied “I was successful when was working in my garage, when i was still broke because I knew what I wanted to do and I was sure i would do it”. In simple terms, his attitude was always one success right from the beginning, he expected success long before the material or call them- the tangible rewards of success, had been earned.

Before you can do something remarkable, you must first be that something from a mental stand point.

Attitude challenge

Chances are high that you might know some people who are what others seem to call lucky . All sorts of good and wonderful things seem to be happening to them and for them and they give the impression of having a wonderful time, “soft life”-happily sailing through life, to almost everyone who sees them and getting more accomplished in a relatively short period of time than most people do in five.

And if you or anyone else will consciously and dedicatedly go about the test am going to recommend and stick at it everyday without fail for the next thirty days, You or they will find themselves a part of the top five percent, of people who are a happy, fulfilled and extremely productive group of people, he will even find himself lucky as they say.

And most of his previous challenges will pretty well take of themselves. Of this you can be absolutely sure ;-the results will be nothing short of astounding.

Remember that a person must first believe in this idea, then act, talk, walk, and conduct themselves in a certain way, feel successful before the success for which he very much longs can come to them.

Now, lemme make this clear, no matter how good the person’s attitude has been in the past, anything can be made better, it’s the small refinements to something good that makes it great.

The attitude challenge

So here is the test. It is an extract from a recording called The Magic Word by Earl Nightingale .

1. For the next thirty days, act towards the world in general, everything and everyone with whom you come into contact with a good healthy attitude ;-the kind that is calculated to bring you the kind of results you desire to achieve. That is, if the results you want is more success in what you are doing, act, talk, carry on like you are already in possession of the success you seek.

If you want others to treat you with admiration and respect, treat others with admiration and respect first. Treat every person as the most important person on earth . And do this for three excellent reasons ;

• As far as they are concerned, they are the most important person on earth. You may never get anyone to admit it, but it’s the truth. Take for example, someone will miss a burial ceremony of someone else because they are not feeling well. The former is graver, but the latter concerns them so there you have it. Nothing is more important to a person than matters that involve them directly.
• The reason you should treat everyone in this way, is mainly because it is the way human beings ought to treat one another- with love and respect for each other.
• Because this will help you form a positive habit that will bring you nothing but delightful and remarkable results for the rest of your life. You will be glad you committed to it.

2. There is nothing humanity in general craves more than recognition, the self-esteem , the feeling that they are appreciated, they are needed, they are important, that they matter, they are respected and that their existence is recognized. They will give their all to the person who fills this need. They will give love, their respect, their affection and their full support.

That’s HOW FAR THE POWER OF APPRECIATION WILL GO IN THE LIVES OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Know this and you can get almost anything from anyone.

3.Have you ever noticed that the higher you go in any organization of value, the nicer the people seem to become?

Do you know why? It’s simply because of their good positive attitude towards life. People with GREAT attitudes just naturally gravitate towards the top.

They have their positions as a result of their HEALTHY attitudes AND NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND.

So, for thirty days, TREAT EVERYONE in exactly the same manner you want to the world and others to treat you. For example , act towards your family and associates as the persons they truly are , the most important people in your life .Treat your spouse, your children as the people they truly are, the most important people in your life.         

4. Carry out into the world the kind of attitude you would have if you were the most successful person on earth each morning for thirty days. And notice how quickly this develops into a habit and the things that person would have and do will naturally come to you.

Because you have actually become that person and almost immediately a change will be noticed . Irritations that used to annoy and frustrate, suddenly disappear.

When some less informed individual tries to give you a hard time, ignore them and stay on track . When someone behaves in a manner that shows ignorance and lack of courtesy, do not permit yourself to drop to their level. Don’t let his or her inner wounds rub onto you. Don’t let them control your attitude , pity them for that is what they truly deserve. They are damaged deep down.

When you act in such a mature and positive way, then you have already placed yourself on the road to what you seek. You are right now, part of the top five percent of the successful people in which ever area you might be.

You have prepared the ground and planted the seed. You have made of yourself a magnet , an embedment of that which you seek.

Remember that before metals can be cast in any desired shape, the mold, the expected receptacle must first be fashioned a certain way. Before wine can be made, the grapes must first be crushed, diamonds are formed under pressure, and before any building can be erected, an excavation must be made and a strong foundation laid. And before a person can achieve the kind of life he wants, he must first become that kind of individual mentally . He must think, talk, walk, act and conduct himself in all these affairs as the person he wishes to become would.

ATTITUDE IS A VERY SMALL THING THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.

Winston Churchill

The 11 Takeaways summarized

And in conclusion, here is a summary of a few takeaways on attitude to keep in mind;

1. It’s our attitude at beginning of any undertaking which will determine its outcome; successful or not morethan any other factor.
2. Our attitude towards others will determines their attitude toward us. This is more reliable than the vice- versa. In life, we are interdependent. The success we achieve in life or fail to will depend on how we relate with other people . It’s almost impossible to succeed without others. Always keep that in mind.
3. Before anyone can achieve the kind of life he desires or wants, he must become that kind of individual, first. He or she must think, act, talk, walk and conduct himself or herself in all his affairs as would the person he wishes to become .
4. The higher you go in any organization of value, the better will be the attitude you will find. Attitudes are not result of success , success on the other hand is a result of good attitudes .
5. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by being positive, by all means by positive.
6. The deepest craving of human beings is the need to be appreciated, give it to them and they will in turn give you what you want from them.
7. Look for best in new ideas, make it a point to atleast learn something from each person you meet.
8. Don’t waste valuable time in cheap talk. It probably WON’T help you, it can’t help others either.
9. Don’t talk about your health and personal problems unless if it will benefit the people with whom you are engaging.
10. Radiate the attitude of a person who knows where they are going, this confidence will inspire those around you and you will find good things will begin happening to you almost immediately.
11. Lastly, for the next thirty days, treat everyone with whom you come in contact as the most important person on earth, because to them they are. If you do this for thirty days, you will do it for the rest of your life.

Keep at heart the words of Walter Del Scott of North Western University, “Success or failure in any undertaking , is caused more by the mental attitude than by mental capacities.”

A few attitude notes to keep you positive

If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, then change your attitude.

Maya Angelou

Attitude is a very small thing that makes a big difference.

You may not be able to control every situation but you can surely control how you react to it.

• Things will not always work out as you like in life, it’s up to you to make the best of whichever way they work out.

• When life gets you down, the best thing you can do is keep crawling.

• Stop wasting time thinking how bad things can get, be grateful they are what they are.

There aint nothing from the outside that can lick any of us.”

Margaret Mitchell

You cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head but you can stop them from building nests in your hair.

Martin Luther

Do what you can and accept what you can’t.

I find the words of Kipling so useful today, he said, “I always prefer to believe the best of everybody, it saves much time.”

Why spend so much time judging others for sinning differently? We all have our flaws and just because your neighbor’s are different doesn’t make them any more of a sinner than you are.

It’s not the load that breaks you, it’s how you carry it.

Lou Holtz

Sydney Harris said,” When I hear someone sigh, Life is hard, am always tempted to ask them compared to what?”

Life is like a lemon. You can choose to have it whole or make lemonade, the choice is yours.

When you look at the world in a narrow way, how mean it is! When you look at it selfishly, how selfish it is! But when you look at it in a broad, generous, friendly, spirit, how wonderful you will find it.

Horace Rutledge

Hunger wakes you up to work, failures make you to achieve, poverty pushes you to earn, problems keep you alert, it’s just positive attitude makes life sweeter and worthier.

When it rains, all the birds of the air fly for shelter but only the eagle avoids the rain by flying above the rain clouds. Their problem is the same but their attitude differs.