Dear Friends,
It seems to me, attitude leads outcome, most think it’s the other way around, but they’re wrong. Good attitudes lead to success and poor attitudes lead to failure. Oh, there are examples of those who’ve got ahead with a poor attitude, but they’re also examples of corruption, graft and privilege. The heir to an estate needn’t have a winning attitude. Those with a poor one however will be wearing shirtsleeves in short order. The entrepreneur with a poor attitude is sure to go bankrupt, while the businessman with a winning one, could go far indeed. This is true for a multitude of reasons. Primarily, because business is the art of falling and getting back up again. A poor attitude will keep one on the ground at the first fall, a winning one will get them back up, no matter how many falls they’ve had.
The art of falling down and getting back up is a hard one to master. No one likes to fail. We often go to great lengths to avoid it. Sometimes missing opportunities for fear of failing. The thing about anything is, the more you do it, the easier it gets. This goes for sin as well as virtue. The more we fall, and get back up, the easier it is to get back up. Your idea could be brilliant, but if it’s out of place or time, it will fail. Later someone else could make a fortune on the same idea. So success isn’t entirely based on intellect, wisdom and judgment… it has a bit of luck. As we all know, the more you roll the dice, the more likely it is to roll a hard seven. The more chances you take the more chances to succeed. If you only take one chance though… failure is assured.
A winning attitude is magnetic, to customers, employees and investors. Go get ’em Liam’s positive attitude, draws people in, but is also contagious. Others become infected with Liam’s gusto. Making success ever more likely. Enthusiastic employees work harder and smarter because they’re motivated. Customers will buy from an enthusiastic person before a lackadaisical one all else being equal. Investors who catch the winning attitude are happy to invest. Because, where a business is motivated, enthusiastic, and has a winning attitude… the likelihood of profit is great. The opposite is also true if the entrepreneur has a bad attitude. They will have a hard time getting motivated employees, willing customers or investors… no matter how great their ideas, products and plans.
Sad sacks seldom go far. Unless it’s on a vacation. Since someone with a defeatist attitude has already lost. This isn’t simply because their attitude is repulsive, but because one’s attitude and motivation, show up in their work. Two equally skilled craftsmen creating a piece of furniture, one is enthusiastic for the project the other unmotivated. Which one will build a better piece? We all know the answer. Another problem with a bad attitude is it’s also contagious. “A bad apple spoils the barrel…” as the saying goes. This is one way corporations are rotted from within. The executives get a bad attitude, That motivation or rather, anti motivation, oozes down the levels and once it’s corrupted the bottom, that corporation becomes a zombie company. All because of a bad attitude.
If we want to get ahead, there’s no better way than to adjust our attitude. You are what you think. Control your thoughts to stay motivated. It takes will. If it was easy, everyone would be rich, motivated and have a winning attitude. That so many of us don’t… proves the difficulty in it. Few are happy when they get punched in the face. They’re called masochists. The rest of us resent it. But, we have to learn to take it, with a smile, maybe missing a tooth. Become inured to getting back up from a fall. No one likes it, but once your used to it, it becomes second nature. Like playing a guitar. It’s hard at first but as you practice you get better. A winning attitude is like playing a guitar. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Unlike a guitar though… the better you get at it, the further you go in life.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
