Your Attitude Is The Lock On The Door, Or The Key To The Door Of Success

The Barometer Of Success

The American motivational speaker Denis Waitley said: "Your attitude is either the lock on, or the key to the door of success."

That passage is the inspiration for this article, owing to its message of self-ownership.

I consider the Self to be the key to the door of success, an attribute successful people recognise because of years having toiled away in their respective fields.

The Self is the enduring psyche hidden underneath the ego. Call it spirit or soul, yet many recognise this timeless quality as the core to one's success.

It was the American self-help author Napoleon Hill who wrote in Think and Grow Rich: "Remember, too, that all who succeed in life get off to a bad start, and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they "arrive. The turning point in the lives of those who succeed usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their 'other selves'."

The alternate self he speaks of is the Higher Self, perceived to be in union with an infinite source. It is whereby an extra hand seemingly guides your steps throughout life.

However, one of the greatest attributes to success, apart from the Higher Self, is your attitude.

A positive attitude is not enough because it can be feigned, it is something more profound and constant. A deeper realisation that you will prevail against the odds, despite outer conditions.

Your attitude serves as the barometer of success.

Whilst motivation, determination and courage are admirable qualities, without the right attitude they are an ember without a flame to light the way.

Temperament, Not Intelligence

The evangelical Christian author Charles R. Swindoll wrote in Strengthening Your Grip of the need to develop an unwavering attitude in light of our challenges: "I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position."

"Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."

Attitude provides the altitude for your dreams, goals and achievements. It infuses them with a commitment to excellence, perseverance and a determined resolve to act in the face of fear.

Attitude is a temperament that helps you conquer your emotional self. Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is the measurement of your capacity to endure adverse conditions.

The British-born American investor Benjamin Graham said: "Individuals who cannot master their emotions are ill-suited to profit from the investment process."

Similarly, Warren Buffett considers one's temperament, not our intelligence to be responsible for managing wealth. He believes most people's emotional intelligence can deal with a twenty percent growth in wealth or a twenty percent loss. Any more or less requires unwavering emotional resilience.

It is the same story told of lottery winners who are worse off within five to ten years after their win because they lack the emotional means to manage their finances.

Attitude is everything.

Attitude engenders your response to life's circumstances.

An Attitude Of Readiness

The right attitude leads to empowering emotions essential for success. Your thoughts and beliefs are the engines that breed the right attitude.

"Keeping one's attitude positive, especially when the world conspires to make us mad, is one of the great accomplishments of life," explains Brendon Burchard in The Motivation Manifesto.

Life is fickle and uncompromising.

Yet interspersed throughout these moments are the tiny treasures reminding us that the struggle is also the culmination of healthy ideals leading to success.

We must temper our attitude and master our inner growth, not for what it brings to our life, but because of who we become when success shows up.

Jeff Olson says in The Slight Edge: "Showing up consistently with a good attitude for a short period of time isn't going to cut it. You've got to show up consistently with the good attitude, being patient and persistent for a long time to create lasting change."

I realise maintaining a positive attitude is challenging because life will break your spirit and crush your soul, even those with the noblest intent.

Consider the Navy Seals BUD/S training, which has an attrition rate of 80 percent of candidates according to author Steven Kotler in Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work.

It is for good reason the attrition rate is high because the process eliminates those incapable of developing the right attitude and emotional resilience in critical field operations.

The BUD/S training serves as a metaphor for life, where those who fail to reach their goals resulting from their inability to embrace failure, defeat and setbacks.

Therefore, cultivate an attitude of readiness, grit and a strong temperament. For when the time is right, the key to the door of success will be close at hand.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Attitude-Is-The-Lock-On-The-Door,-Or-The-Key-To-The-Door-Of-Success&id=9792963

10 Ideas to Help You Stay Motivated

I often wonder what motivates us to stay productive. It's one thing to produce a positive result and yet another to consistently repeat that positive action. Only motivation, which comes from two sources, can keep us consistent.

1. Our own internal drive, self-talk and attitude. How we speak to and treat ourselves affects what we are able to accomplish.

2. External influence from family, friends, leaders and other people we look up to or hold in high regard. The advice or guidance we receive from others affects what we feel about ourselves and our capabilities.

The question is, what direction does the motivation take us in? One that leads to positive, productive results or not. It is up to us to very intentionally make adjustments to what we allow into our thoughts/minds. We must make decisions about that kind of talk we entertain and learn to discard negative thoughts or words.

Below are 10 thought-provoking ideas I feel lead us in the right direction.

1. Showing up is largely a result of self-motivation.

Absolutely! If we don't motivate ourselves to get moving it's harder to show up or be present during our normal daily activities. Our motivation should discard any negative feelings that prevent us from showing up to meet our commitments.

2. A positive attitude fuels inner drive.

Try it! There's no doubt that when we're positive, we get more done with less effort.

3. There's power in words. We should speak positively about ourselves and others.

Words are powerful when used right they motivate and encourage. We must always consider the result or outcome of our words before we speak.

4. Self-discipline over a period of time yields desired results.

There are tougher challenges in pursuing self-discipline than we realize. The results however are powerful and priceless - let's stay focused.

5. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how long the tunnel.

There will be moments when we are tried and tested personally and professionally. We have to focus on where we need to be, our finish line, in order to stay motivated and productive while going through the tunnel.

6. We know we are motivated when we consistently go the extra mile.

Internal motivation coupled by the external push from supporters and those who cheer us on fuels us to keep going.

7. Creativity helps build confidence & ownership.

Thinking outside the box and curiosity drives us to greater heights.

8. To be productive and efficient we must stay informed.

Having the right information at the right time motivates us to pursue our goals. We must seek and desire to gain the knowledge consistently.

9. We experience greater satisfaction when our work speaks for itself.

Actions speak louder than words. The results of the action we take to back up our words keeps us motivated. "Well done is better than well said." ~Benjamin Franklin

10. We are motivated by leaders that are authentic and engaged.

It's important to form relationships and/or follow leaders that motivate us to be better. Strive for excellence.

http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Ideas-to-Help-You-Stay-Motivated&id=9222125

Why You Can't Experience Progress Without a Struggle

Are you contented with your life? How about a little struggle? Why? Read on to find out.

Struggles in your life help you to measure milestones of progress. Without struggles, there is no progress in life. How is that?

With every struggle, you get to rise up to a challenge and hopefully overcome it. There's beauty in it. You get to reap the fruits of your struggle. With almost every struggle, there is a blessing - something to look forward to - some hidden treasure or gift, which says yes, you have done a good job and you deserve it. This is that milestone of progress.

Say, you want to earn good grades in school. There are competitors around. But that's not the point. You put in your efforts and struggle through your courses to come out on top. There's beauty in it - yes there is. You have the blessing of a good GPA in school which will always work to open up opportunities for good job purposes through your resumes. It is earned only once but work for you in benign ways a lifetime. In fact, it is a milestone of your life's progress.

Now suppose, you have a good job reputation, but you suddenly need to change areas and work in a different zone because of someone's demise, accident, or simply to be near your old parents. Your good job reputation is a milestone of your life's progress which will help you to progress another milestone if you do need to change areas or zones.

Take for instance, you have a challenging health problem. You want to overcome it and live your best life. With the will of your determination, you can rise up to the challenge and beat it - yes, you obviously can. A positive attitude and positive thoughts all along will help you further to cover the milestone of progress. You beat your health problem and give yourself an optimal life to live the rest of your life. How good is that?

How about earning the gold medal for swimming in the Olympics? You have to rehearse a lot. After practices and practices with your coach and fellow mates, you have to prove you are worthy and finally get selected to participate. All along it's been a struggle of struggles. But finally when the grand day comes, you are able to make it and win the desired medal triumphantly. So, on top of everything, it's a milestone of progress.

One milestone leads to another milestone of progress through struggles and winning battles. You pat yourself on the back along the way but not for long. You go on struggling and making milestones of progress until you are lying on your deathbed happy with the minimum regrets. Yes, you have lived a worthy life. You don't regret. You are smug and happy.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-You-Cant-Experience-Progress-Without-a-Struggle&id=9554212

10 Signs You Really Are a Leader (and Might Not Know it)

Many times people who influence us the most aren't even aware they are leading us.

We often feel that to be a leader you need to be born a leader, or be drawn to leadership, or have a leader-ly position.

We think of leadership as a title that has to be deserved or earned.  

But leaders are rarely, if ever, born. If we had to isolate a factor that creates leaders, it's probably some combination of circumstance and persistence.

Many, many leaders walk among us--in all kinds of people, places and positions.

Some of the greatest leaders you'll ever meet aren't even aware of their own leadership.

Here are 10 signs that you may be one of them:

1. You have an open mind and seek out other people's opinions. If people are drawn to you because you are open to others people's opinions, you are a leader.

2. You offer advice and counsel. If you find yourself advising your colleagues, and your friends are asking you to counsel them--if people seem to seek out and value what you say--then your empathy is strong and your perspective has real-world usefulness to those around you. If you often help those around you navigate their rough patches, you are a leader.

3. People count on you. If people rely on you, it follows that they trust you to follow through and deliver on your promises. If you hold yourself accountable and demonstrate the kind of day-in, day-out responsibility that leads others to trust you, you are a leader.

4. You're a good listener and people confide in you. Being able to listen to others, having people speak to you frankly without worrying about who you'll tell or how you might use that knowledge against them, are signs of strong leadership--not to mention of being a nice person. If you understand that listening is more important than speaking, and if people know they can confide in you, you are a leader.

5. Others follow your example. The most powerful form of leadership isn't persuasion or argument or force, but example. Whether times are good or bad, people notice who's present, who's effective, who's working hard without distraction. When that person is you, others naturally follow you--and you are a leader.

6. You insist on excellence. As Aristotle said, we are what we repeatedly do, and therefore excellence is not an act but a habit. When you are in the habit of standing up for excellence and you hold yourself and those around you responsible for quality, you are telling others that you act rather than talk, show rather than say, deliver rather than promise. If you are not making excuses or blaming others but holding up the standard of excellence and quality, you are a leader.

7. You have a positive attitude. Positive, optimistic people make people around them happy. A positive outlook doesn't blind you to problems or issues but allows you to seek out something good in almost every situation and to know that eventually things will be all right. It's the kind of spirit that keeps people motivated and spreads optimism, and it means you are a leader.

8. You treat people with respect. Knowledge may give you power, being smart may give you an advantage, but when you give respect you will always receive respect in return. If you look for the good in everyone you meet and respect them for who they are, it's likely that they hold you in high esteem and that you are a leader.

10. You are confident and passionate. Most people are always watching each other, looking for cues about how to behave. Being confident means moving with assurance, being passionate about what you believe and refusing to let anything get in your way. If you work consistently toward a cause with vision and confidence, you are a leader.9. You genuinely care about others. If you spend time supporting, guiding and sharing your knowledge with those around you, giving them the opportunity to achieve success, and if you care about their well-being and do all you can to help them attain their own success, you are a leader.

Are you failing to see something important within yourself? Weigh yourself against these traits, reconsider what you think you know, and recognize yourself for the leader you may really be.

http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/10-signs-you-really-are-a-leader-and-might-not-know-it.html

5 Steps to Being More Charming

"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious." --Oscar Wilde,Lady Windermere's Fan

In his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum gives us a blueprint for success. Almost three decades later, his words to the wise are still viable, and actually, still quite contemporary. Taking direction, here are a few hacks that illustrate the qualities of the most charming people.

1. Share everything.

Most important, share yourself. Be genuine and a bit vulnerable. Smile when you meet someone, and not just with your mouth. Smile with your eyes. The eyes are a powerful communication tool. Be open and approachable. Stand tall and claim space in a room.

2. Don't hit.

Make people feel special. Compliment folks on whatever it is they do well. Everybody does something well. Be sincere, and be interested. Ask questions, and really listen to what others have to say. Encourage people to talk about themselves. Look people in the eye, and make physical contact. Touch is a sensory empowerment tool. Use it wisely and cautiously.

3. Put away your toys.

Give folks your full attention. Let people know you really are glad to see them, and you are listening to them. No phones, no tweets, no electronic devices of any kind.

4. Wash your hands.

Dress the part of charming. Be meticulous in your grooming and personal hygiene. Pay special attention to your clothing. Be remembered for who you are, not what you wear.

5. Flush.

Clean up your own messes and eliminate any negativity. A positive attitude is always charming. As my grandmother used to say, "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."

Keep these suggestions in mind, and remember, you can develop a magnetic personality that makes people respond to you in positive ways.

http://www.inc.com/rhett-power/5-steps-to-being-more-charming.html