Shift To A More Positive Attitude...Enjoy More SuccessAttitude: a mental positionwith regard to a fact or stateAn attitude can be changed. So can facts, but it's harder to change them. When faced with a negative, or seemingly, negative situation, shift to a more positive attitude. This will allow you do something productive that will help you succeed. |
Early in 2007, his second wife died.
Until July 2009, my father chose to continue to live in his late wife's home in the country—alone.
Relatives, neighbors and friends keep an eye on him, helping with cooking and household chores. He continued to drive his own car in daylight hours and good weather.
At the urging of his family, my father moved to an apartment in seniors' comples in a nearby city in July 2009. He continues to live alone...happier than I have ever seen him.
Certainly it's remarkable that given his age, my father lives alone.
What is even more remarkable, is his consistently realistic and positive state of mind. Regardless of what adversity that he faced, he accepted the reality of the situation.
He says that 'he can't remember the bad things that happen...and besides, they are not bad things. They are just life experiences.'
My father spent his entire working life as a factory laborer. He has never been a 'student of success'. His positive nature is simply part of who he is—it's not something he has learned from reading or taking courses.
Without conscious effort on his part, he has managed to walk the 'healthy-attitude talk' of success gurus and motivational trainers alike.
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The Experts Tell Us...
“...The
most important single factor that guarantees our success in every
aspect of our lives is having a positive attitude.”
“...Without
a positive attitude success is not possible.”
These comments by Joe Love effectively summarize the wisdom of countless motivational and self-help authorities. No one can deny either the accuracy or the importance of these statements.
A more positive state of mind is something that virtually every one can bring about.
But...
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The Experts Don't Tell Us...
...about 2 critical elements of mind-sets, whether positive or negative.1. More or Less Of Each
States of mind are not either totally positive or totally negative.They are not like light switches that can be flipped one way for positive and the opposite way for negative.
They are more like dimmer switches which can be moved between the two extremes totally negative at one end and totally positive at the other.
Sometimes we are more positive than at other times.
And sometimes even the most positive among us feels more negative than normal.
Because mind-sets are variable, they can be set up on a scale and measured, as illustrated in the Attitude Scale below.
2. Change For The Better
Anything that's variable can be changed.Regardless of whether negative or positive, you can change your mental position.
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Don't Waste Emotional Energy
By accepting the reality of factual situations, we don't waste emotional energy worrying about what happened.We can't change events that have occurred.
Despite the most positive of mental positions, my father could not change the reality of the death of each spouse.
Nor could he change the reality of the 6 major serious health issues that he faced and ultimately overcame.
What my father's positiveness did influence was his response to the crises.
Certainly the loss of each wife was very hard on him and he still misses both. But at some point, his inherent positive nature directed his actions.
From a marketing perspective, local markets and national economies constantly shift and change. Like it or not, those are facts that neither you nor I can change regardless of how positive we are.
Instead of wasting emotional energy worrying about changing market conditions, take a more positive approach.
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Change One Thing At A Time
Focus on shifting your mind-set to a more positive level. Once you have achieved that level you can refocus in moving to another, higher level.As part of shifting your attitude, remember your long term goals. What small tasks can you can complete that will help you achieve these goals?
Try reconnecting with your clients and contacts.
Tell them about local trends and developments in the market and how these factors might influence their decisions.
If you have not yet formed your own opinion on these isues, do some more research.
You can also try connecting with strangers or people you don't normally interact with.
Ask them what they know and think about the current market situation.
Certainly keeping in touch with clients is always beneficial. It enhances your relationship with these people, encouraging repeat business and referrals.
Similarly, contacting strangers increases your sphere of influence, facilitating referrals.
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Do Something
But the true value of these activities is that you are doing something.Not only are you continuing to work on growing your business, you will feel better about yourself and your business.
Doing nothing results in your fixating on what you perceive as problems, making them seem worse than they really are.
This will really drag you down and make it more difficult to do the things you must do to succeed.
When faced with a negative, or seemingly, negative situation, recognize the power of a more positive approach.
And allow this approach to help you do something that is both positive and productive, like working to achieve your goals.
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To Learn More...
Countless authors have written hundreds of thousands attitude-focused books. The most famous of these books remains the best.If you have not yet read The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, get it and read it. More than any other book, it illustrates the incredible power of positive approaches to life.
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