IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDE

“Building a positive attitude”

There was a man who made a living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of
balloons, including red, yellow, blue, and green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon, and his sales would go up again. He continued this process all day. One day, he felt someone tugging at his jacket.

He turned around and saw a little boy who asked, “If you release a black balloon, would that also fly?” Moved by the boy’s concern, the man replied with empathy, “Son, it is not the color of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes it go up.”

The same thing applies to our lives. It is what is inside that counts. The thing inside of us that makes us go up is our attitude.

Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organizations, or countries are more successful than others? It is not a secret. These people simply think and act more effectively. They have learned how to do so by investing in the most valuable asset–people. I believe that the success of an individual, organization or country, depends on the quality of their people.

I have spoken to executives in major corporations all over the world and asked one question: “If you had a magic wand and there was one thing you would want changed, that would give you a cutting edge in the marketplace resulting in increased productivity and profits, what would that be?” The answer was unanimous. They all said that if people had better attitudes, they’d be better team players, and it’d cut down waste, improve loyalty and, in general, make their company a great place to work.

William James of Harvard University said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” Experience has shown that human resources is the most valuable asset of any business. It is more valuable than capital or equipment. Unfortunately, it is also the most wasted. People can be your biggest asset or your biggest liability.

TQP–TOTAL QUALITY PEOPLE

Having been exposed to a number of training programs, such as customer service, selling skills, and strategic planning, I have come to the conclusion that all these are great programs with one major challenge: None of them works unless they have the right foundation, and the right foundation is TQP. What is TQP? TQP is Total Quality People–people with character, integrity, good values, and a positive attitude.

Don’t get me wrong. You do need all the other programs, but they will only work when you have the right foundation, and the foundation is TQP. For example, some customer service programs teach participants to say “please,” and “thank-you,” give smiles and handshakes. But how long can a person keep on a fake smile if he does not have the desire to serve? Besides, people can see through him. And if the smile is not sincere, it is irritating. My point is, there has to be substance over form, not form over substance.

Without a doubt, one does need to remember “please” and “thank-you,” the smiles, etc.– they are very important. But keep in mind that they come a lot easier when accompanied by a desire to serve. Someone once approached Blaise Pascal, the famous French philosopher and said, “If I had your brains, I would be a better person.” Pascal replied, “Be a better person and you will have my brains.”

The Calgary Tower stands at 190.8 meters. The total weight of the tower is 10,884 tons, of which 6,349 tons is below ground (approximately 60%). This shows that some of the greatest buildings have the strongest foundations. Just like a great building stands on a strong foundation, so does success. And the foundation of success is attitude.

You Can Win

A STEP BY STEP TOOL FOR TOP ACHIEVERS

Winners don’t do different things.
They do things Differently.

Success doesn’t mean the absence of failures; it means the attainment of ultimate
objectives. It means winning the war, not every battle.

Edwin C. Bliss

You have met people who literally wander through life. They simply accept whatever fate brings them. A few may succeed by accident, but most suffer through a lifetime of frustration and unhappiness.

This book is not for them. They have neither the determination to succeed nor the
willingness to devote the time and effort necessary to achieve success. This book is for you. The simple fact that you are reading this book indicates you want to live a richer, more fulfilling life than you have now. This book can enable you to do that.

WHAT KIND OF BOOK IS THIS?

In one sense, this book is a construction manual. It describes the tools you will need for success, and offers blueprints to help you build a successful and rewarding life.

In a second, sense, it is a cookbook. It lists the ingredients the principles you will need to follow to become successful and gives you the recipe for mixing them in the correct proportions. But, above all, this is a guidebook a step by step, how to book that will take you from dreaming about success to unlocking your potential for success.

HOW TO READ THIS BOOK

This book will help you establish new goals, develop a new sense of purpose, and generate new ideas about yourself and your future. It will enable you, as the title suggests, to guarantee yourself a lifetime of success.

But the concepts in this book cannot be absorbed by casual browsing or by gulping the whole book down in one reading. It should be read slowly and carefully, one chapter at a time. Don’t move on to the next chapter until you are sure you understand every concept in the previous chapter.

Use this as a workbook. Write marginal notes to yourself. Use a highlighter as you read and mark those words or sentences or paragraphs that seem vital, or especially applicable to you.

As you read, discuss the concepts in each chapter with your spouse or partner, or with a close friend. A second (and hopefully frank) opinion from someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses can be especially helpful.

START AN ACTION PLAN

One of the purposes of this book is to help you create an Action Plan for the rest of your life. If you have never created an Action Plan, it defines three things:

1. What you want to achieve
2. How you expect to achieve it
3. When you plan to achieve it

As you read this book, keep a notebook handy, divided into three sections: your goals, the stages in which you plan to reach them, and your timetable for success.

By the time you finish reading this book, your notebook will be the foundation on which you can build your new life.

The principles in this book are universal. They are applicable in any situation, organization, or country. As Plato said, “Truths are eternal.” Throughout the book I have used masculine gender, only for the purpose of ease in writing. The principles apply to both genders and are based on the premise that most people fail not because of lack of ability or intelligence but because of lack of desire, direction, dedication, and discipline.