Achieivng Success – How to Develop a Success Attitude

Many books have been written on Success.  Go to any bookstore and you will find a plethora of them each giving you the “secret formula” to success.  You can learn something from all of them.   However, when it comes to achieving success on your terms, can you own their philosophies?  Do their success attitudes line up with your beliefs, your definition of success?  Do you have a definition of success?  Do you know what your definition of success is?  What is YOUR definition of Success? And, how do you know you have a success attitude?

Know and own what success means to you.  This knowledge gives you the power to direct your thoughts, your energy and passion to attain the mindset that will enable you to achieve success according to your definition.

Look at your definition, is it realistic, believable, attainable? Can you believe that you can achieve this goal that will give you the success you are looking for?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I believe I deserve to be successful?
• Is there anything that blocks a success attitude within me?
• Am I sabotaging my dreams, desires, or goals to achieve success?
• Are there people in my life who are a roadblock to my success attitude?
• Do I have people around me who can encourage me, cheer me on to achieving a success attitude?
• Is there someone I know that can be a mentor to help me achieve my goals?
• Am I willing to take risks to achieve my goals?

Often, without really thinking about what we think or do, we set ourselves up for failure. It can be things like not getting a project done in time, an associate gets the promotion you were working hard to get, or perhaps even a business deal that just did not work out. We begin to blame ourselves, and our self-talk becomes negative and destructive.  It is here, at this crossroad, that you must stop, take a deep breath, and re-evaluate your attitude.

Recognizing your thoughts and the direction they want to take can help you get back on track quickly. Don’t dwell on the setbacks or mistakes.  Consider them part of the learning curve or stepping stones toward helping you gain a success attitude. Investing the time to readjust and redirect your thoughts toward achieving a success attitude is one of the most important steps you can take toward the road to success.

How do you develop a success attitude?

First, I believe it is important to have a personal philosophy of what life means to you, that is – a moral compass, virtues, ethics – an integrity based foundation. Whether you gain it from personal coaches, mentors, books, or the Bible, it is paramount to achieving true success that you can live with daily with a clear conscience.  There are too many people throughout the years, and still today who think success is merely being able to have the most money, get away with devious behavior, and achieve notoriety regardless of cost to their reputation.

Second, this core set of beliefs will and should affect your thinking and the way you look at yourself and the things that are important to you in developing a success attitude.  Thus, when crisis occur in your life, you are able to respond in an appropriate manner without compromising your standards, your code of ethics, your moral fiber.  Another way of saying it is that you won’t “sell out”.

Look at your attitude now as you are thinking about these things, are there any areas that need change? Write them down. Knowing what needs to change will help you identify the course you need to take to get your attitude in check, readjust your thinking and develop a plan of action to achieve the success attitude you want.

This success attitude can also be called personal growth – it is the maturing of your thinking process and helps to give you the dedication you need to make your efforts fruitful.  You go from being like a kite caught up in a wild wind of frenzy to stabilizing your thoughts, your actions, your goal and your attitude.

Another factor in developing a success attitude is being committed to the task in front of you.  Be focused and persevere regardless of the obstacles that come against you.  Rise up like the eagle in the winds of adversity and be able to reach a plateau in your mind that keeps you over your challenges, not under your circumstances.  Your mind is the most powerful tool you have – if used in the right way you gain success.  If you use it to perpetuate a predisposed mindset of negative thinking it can defeat you.

Your mind can be used as a weapon of defense to avoid failure by sabotaging your chances of success in advance.  Watch out for this! It is hard to detect sometimes, because it is so subtle, so illusive, so covert that before you know it, you have fallen into its trap.  It’s called a negative attitude. It can lead to disappointment, despair, depression and becomes a vicious cycle that is hard to become free of.  That is why, having a moral compass, a standard of living that is based on a solid foundation with good ethics and integrity will help you toward developing and achieving your success attitude.

What do you gain with a success attitude?

• Self-respect
• Respect from others
• Confidence
• Positive outlook
• Ability to love
• Eager to face challenges
• Appreciation of life
• Appreciate the little successes in your own life and at work
• Mentoring others
• Influence

And, above all, achieving success through your efforts and dedication.  It is an excellent goal to achieve and know that whatever you do will impact someone, somewhere in a positive way. Knowing that you exude a success attitude in everything you think, say, or do will encourage others around you to want to do the same in their own lives – and that is one of the best successes to have and to share!

This excerpt is part of a series called “Achieving Success”.  It will be available as a e-book, complimentary to members of  The Winning Woman Network.  To become a member, click here: Join The Winning Woman Network.