Attitude: Foundation Of Success

It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.-Zig Ziglar, Motivational Expert.

Attitude is, undoubtedly, a major determinant of what we become and whether we will achieve our best life ever. In his book You Can win, published in 1998, Shiv Khera, mentor and business coach wrote: “The foundation of success, regardless of your chosen field, is attitude.” It is so true. Attitude determines everything in our lives.

We may consider attitude to be manner, disposition, feeling, or position we have in relation to a person, thing, event or situation. Attitude is the way we perceive the world and how the world perceives us. It finds expression in our behavior towards people and situations.

We all have attitudes. Your attitude may be your best friend or worse enemy. Your attitude is either positive or negative. A positive attitude attracts; a negative attitude repels. If you have a positive attitude, it will improve your chances of success. A negative mental attitude will set you up for failure.

Attitude is critical to success. Take a second look at your attitudes and how it is impacting your life. Fill your life with positive attitudes and remember what you give out will come back to you; they have a boomerang effect. Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism once remarked: “If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.” Be mindful of your attitudes then.

People with positive attitudes have such character traits as- humility, respect, loving, caring, selfless service, passion, enthusiasm, diligence, honesty, integrity, patience, persistence, tolerance, optimistic, faith, compassion, kindness, open minded, teachable, forgiving, uncanny ability to socialize among others. They do not envy others. They do not lust after the possessions of others. They believe in positive outcomes.

Most of our attitudes were formed during our childhood years. But as we mature, we acquire others.

There are several factors that shape our attitudes.

Environment
Environment has a lot of influence on attitude formation. If you live in a home or community that is noted for a culture of violence, you will most likely show this poor attitude in your life. Chances are that you will be a violent person.

When you grow up with negative beliefs, these will manifest when you are dealing with others. If you are in the company of thieves that is the culture that will rub off on you and you will most likely become a thief. If you live with people who believe in virtues such as patriotism, honesty, integrity, diligence, humanity, love and patience, which are essential for a successful life, your life will reflect these qualities. You will have a positive attitude.

Experiences
Our experiences will give us positive or negative attitudes. If someone treats you with respect, you will reciprocate by treating that person with respect and vice versa. Our experiences become reference points; our future behavior will be based on these experiences. When we have positive experiences with people, our attitude towards them will be positive. If you are constantly abused by someone, your attitude towards that person will be to keep away from him. Your behavior towards that person will be negative, not positive.

Education
Education also influences attitude formation. Education should not only focus on giving us facts and figures; it should teach us how to live and achieve a magnificent life. That can only happen when the right values are imparted. Education should be holistic and position us to behave appropriately under all circumstances. Educational institutions are human refineries; they should churn out people with positive attitudes who will be law abiding and productive. When people come out of our educational institutions with negative attitudes, they become liabilities to themselves, their organizations and the state.

Positive person
Friend, make a conscious effort to build positive attitudes into your life. This will make you a positive person. You can leverage your positive attitudes to become successful in life, career and relationships. A positive attitude will give you a pleasing personality. It will make you optimistic and confident to pursue your goals. It will inspire you and those around you. It will contribute to better health which can translate into increased productivity.

Human resource is the most important factor in every organization. If the people in an organization have positive attitudes, that organization will operate more effectively and increase productivity and profits. It will become a success and make a positive impact in the lives of the people.

Negative person
It is easy to identify people with negative attitudes; their negativity breeds in them bitterness and resentment. Often, they are people who are not happy with themselves. They whine, moan and groan. When they face bad situations, they complain rather than look for solutions. They have low self- esteem and reduce productivity as a result of their negative attitudes.

As indicated earlier, we should strive to have positive attitudes. If your attitude is a negative one, it can be changed. Fact is your attitudes are not set in stone. William James, the father of modern psychology once wrote, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” Attitude is something of the mind. And our minds are like computers; what you put in your get out. You are endowed with agency. You can choose to programme positive or negative attitudes into your mental computer. You don’t want to fail. A prudent thing to do is to programme your conscious and subconscious mind with positive attitudes for success in life.

Conclusion
In conclusion, attitude is everything. It affects every aspect of our lives. It can be your best friend or worst enemy. The foundation of all success, all achievement is without doubt attitude. This is true not only for individuals but organisations as well.

Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
Dep. Dir. Of Prisons/Regional Commander
Tamale Central Prisons.
Cell: 0208 455 296
Email: [email protected]