Changing Your Attitude is Essential to Success in Business and Life

I’m not where I’m supposed to be.

I’m not what I want to be.

But I’m not what I use to be.

I haven’t learned how to arrive.

I have just learned how to keep going.

If you can live these words you will be on a path for success in business and life. Writer and Artist Elbert Hubbard observed: The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we passed it – so fine that we are often on the line and we don’t know it. How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success? That’s why we need to dedicate ourselves to small steps of improvement. Who knows if the next small step will provide the break through we’ve been seeking?

How people respond to change – Because people don’t like change, most of them do not react to change very well. Their response creates more problems for them in their daily business practices. The person insisting on using yesterday’s business practices in today’s business climate will not be in business tomorrow or their business will die a slow death. Most people would rather change their circumstances than improve their business. When, instead they need to change themselves to improve their circumstance in business. Most people will not pay the immediate price to change their business practices and end up paying the ultimate price for not seeking to change. Making meaningful changes in your everyday business practice is essential if you want to maximize your ability to pay the price of learning, set yourself up for change and grow professionally. The following five steps will assist you in changing your attitude to be successful in business:

1) Change Yourself – Part of human conditioning is to look for faults in others and minimize our own faults. If you want to see positive change in your business quit looking for a better person and become a better business leader. If changing your business practices seems overwhelming then start with small steps. Making small steps of improvement in yourself over time creates a big difference in achieving your overall objectives. Improvement is achieved in inches, not giant leaps.

2) Change Your Attitude – If you try to change those things outside of your control, you start to lose control of those things within you that can change because your focus is wrong. Changing your attitude, that is completely within your control. The best part of change is that this one act can be a major factor in changing your business for the positive. In controlling your attitude and choosing to think positively, you can minimize the negative effects of those around you who have bad attitudes. Changing your attitude allows you to see opportunities where once you saw obstacles.

3) Change Your Non-Growing Business Partners - In life it is important to love people and value your business relationships. However you must accept that some of your business partners may not share the same journey you are choosing. You have to be aware of these negative influences and surround yourself with people who share your vision and are a positive influence on achieving your business goals. We have all heard the expression “Birds of a feather, flock together”, your business associates will either stretch your vision or choke your dreams.

4) Determine To Live Differently Than Average People – “Who am I?” But more importantly “Who am I becoming?” To answer this question you must keep one eye on where you are and one eye on where you will be. Most people have an eye on where they have been and one eye on where they are now. To know who you are becoming requires you to not only know where you are now but also to know where you are now and the changes needed to achieve your business goals.

5) Unlearn What You Know To Learn What You Don’t Know – Satchel Paige once said “It’s not what you don’t know that hurts you – it’s what you do know that just ain’t so.” Unlearning is a prerequisite for growth in business. To unlearn follow these five steps:

a) Admit that an old practice, belief or attitude is not solving the current problems facing your business and that doing more of it will not lead to desired outcomes.

b) Open your mind – yield to the view that there are alternatives to the way you have always done it until now.

c) Switch from trying to rationalize the use of your long favored solutions to asking questions about how you can change, learn and grow your business.

d) Commit to terminating unsuccessful business practices used in the past.e) Practice and perfect new best business practices to achieve your business goals.

Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new business practices and move your business forward.

What did I learn today? What spoke both to your heart and your head?

How did I grow today? What touched my heart and affected my actions?

What will I do differently? Unless you can state specifically what you plan to do differently, you will not have learned anything.

“One of the things that is not acceptable is to compare myself to others when contemplating change. My desire is not to become superior to anybody else. I only want to be superior to my former self. Intention and contemplation assist me in doing that. Improvement is within reach of anyone, no matter how experienced or green, educated or ignorant, rich or poor”.

Dream Big. If you could envision your dream position with Pro Source what would your job description look like?

Be responsive and open to new ideas and a new way of doing business, willingness to learn.

Do not take any comments personal when discussing sensitive issues while developing your business plan.

Andrew Wichert

January 4, 2013