WHY YOUR ATTITUDE IS KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS

Rather than continue with another important ingredient in the series Recipe for Success, I decided to pick and discuss one of the tools needed to become resilient – which we talked about last week. 

Change is a phenomenon that is bound to happen to any man – whether positive or negative. Change is so beautiful and unique; it is only second to death as the constant thing any man will ever experience while earth. I believe we have to be a victim of a change in one a way or the other. Be it physical, mental, or socioeconomic change. No man is free from it, isn’t that marvelous!
However, of all changes one can think of, there is but one which I discovered men find hard to conform with. This, I call ‘Attitudinal Change’. 
How about we start with this short story before we proceed on our discussion for today. 

A long time ago in a small town in Sierra Leone, a man by the name Mr Hay went on diamond exploration in a village. He mined tirelessly for days without success. Then he got fed up and went back home. Unaware, he was inches close to the stratum of diamonds but turned back with frustration and tiredness written all over his face while Mr Bee heard the story of Mr Hay and decided to embark on the same exploration. He also encountered failures and difficulties but he never gave up. He kept forging ahead without looking back. His doggedness and steadfastness finally paid off as he eventually broke through the stratum of diamonds.

Mr Hay had a failed expedition while Mr Bee achieved success where Mr Hay failed. The difference between these men is what I call ATTITUDE.

What is Attitude?

Attitude can be defined as a settled opinion or way of thinking. It is a behaviour reflecting what you stand for. An attitude is a psychological response to a person, an object, to a situation, to society and to life itself that generally influence our behaviors and actions. In a clearer tone, it is the predisposition or tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person or situation.

Attitude can either be positive or negative. This came into play in the story narrated above. Mr Hay quitted when it got rough, lost his focus, allowed doubt to creep in, embraced failure and left with his tail between his legs. His attitude denotes circumstantial negativity. Mr Hay personifies the attitude a lot of us portray towards life situation and challenges. We would have toiled and strive all our lives to accomplish set goals with our enthusiasm for success so high. But we begin to lose faith in ourselves, doubt sets in and punctures our positive attitude. Next, we throw in the towels when the heat becomes too much to bear. At times, what we do not know is that we give up at the eleventh hour. We give up when we are close to victory. And it takes a determined man like Mr Bee to make us realise that. 

I salute the stubbornly unyielding prowess of Mr Bee. It takes a superbly bullheaded man to decide and determine to embark on a journey which another man had failed. I can't help but imagine the number of people that would have tried to talk him out of the expedition; the friends that would've dissuaded him from his dreams. His family would have begged him to quit before even starting. People would have called him a lunatic for trying to make the impossible possible. Just a handful persons might have believe in his dream. But he never blinked. He barricaded himself from all insults, negative words and thoughts with a positive attitude. He donned this armour and set on his journey full of enthusiasm and optimism, which is, to succeed where someone else failed.

Attitude influences an individual's choice of action and responses to challenges, incentives and rewards. Mr Bee had the options to listen to his environmental influences. He had the choice not to even bug himself about the minefield as someone else had failed on it. He had the choice to settle with every negative word hurled at him but no, he settled for a positive attitude. 

What kind of belief and attitude do you hold on to today? Are you a descendant of Mr Hay or Mr Bee? Are you a naysayer, the NO-man, the I-can't-do-it man? Why don't you make up your mind to be a YES-man? Be the man to stand out when the world says NO. You're a carbon copy of whatever you conceive in your heart. Whatever you feel, see, perceive or preconceive about yourself is what exactly you'll become. You can't outgrow what you feed your inner man. So, if you're the kind of person that feed yourself with the 'I-can't-do-it mentality', you'll always find yourself giving up even before circumstances present itself.

Success is not an accident; it is the result of our attitude. Your attitude determines your altitude. Failure is not a crime, it is the lack of effort or at times, reinvigorating effort. So, work with effort, enthusiasm, optimism and vision. If you ever feel in life that all doors are closed, remember these words, "A closed door is not always locked so turn the knob and give it a push at least." Think low and negatively, you'll find yourself hovering around the valley. Aim higher, think and act positively, you'll find yourself among the stars of the sky. The difference is always your attitude to situations.

Finally, embrace the diehard attitude. Cultivate the never-say-die habit. Talk to yourself that you won't give up come what may. Take a cue from Mr Bee and remain dogged in the heat of adversity. Look at the bright side of life. It's a matter of choice and repeated attempts. Learn to master your thoughts. Be steadfast, hold on to your dreams, keep your vision alive, raise your optimism and let nothing shift your centre of interest. Remember, Tough times don't last; only tough people do.

I'll leave you with this quote by J. Sidlow Baxter. "What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity."

Think Positive!

Thanks for joining me today on another refreshing, reinvigorating and inspiring edition. Keep it a date with us, same day next week. Until then, enjoy the rest of the week.