Attitude Development

What do all successful people have in common?

When looking for a definition for success, it is a good idea to take a close look at the most successful people out there. What do all of them have in common? If you look close enough, you will see that the most successful individuals in any career all have positive attitudes.

Have you taken the time to plan your career?

Before you set out to accomplish something, you must first ask yourself what specifically it is that you hope to accomplish. This is why setting a clearly defined goal is key in any profession. You cannot obtain a goal that you never realized was a personal goal for you. This is why it is a good idea to commit to specific goals and destinations – how you see yourself in a given period of time.

It is always a good idea to commit your goals to paper. If your goal is not written down, then it is not really a goal – it is more of a wish. And hopefully you have realized by now – life is not a fairy tale!

By committing your life long goals to paper, you are taking the first step towards actualizing those goals. Writing down your goals is a sign that you have faith in the feasibility of attaining your goal. This is a major ingredient to success in life, and the key to a positive attitude. It also shows that you are brave enough to stand out from the rest of the crowd, as the vast majority of people do not take the time to write out their goals.

This is like anything else in life, if you think about it. Nobody begins construction on a building until the plans for construction have been confirmed. When your career plans are down on paper in a complete form, then you are already half way on the road towards completing them. The rest of the way involves a lot of perspiration and persistence.

The truth is, a lot of people tend to live directionless lives. They spend the vast duration of their time on this planet wandering around looking for a way to live, a goal to pursue, a dream to follow. These people are rarely, if ever successful. Most of these people wind up having bad attitudes. When things do not work out for them, they blame other people around them, or maybe even blame society for holding them back. Or they will claim that they are victims of fate, that they never had the luck that others around them might have had.

The key toward becoming successful in life lies in knowing what direction you are traveling in and recognizing that the road to accomplishing your goal might not be completely smooth.

What is Luck?

But what about those people who seem to have everything and never even had to try? They sure are lucky, aren’t they?

Of course. But maybe your definition of “luck” differs from mine. I would define “luck” as that place where opportunity and preparation meet at a crossroads. Every day that goes by, another opportunity passes by you. If you are fully prepared, then you will know how to go about taking advantage of each and every one of those opportunities. Knowing where you are going from the outset will help you prepare for those opportune moments.

What if I do not know what I want out of life?

You are not alone. About ninety eight percent of all people on this planet are in the same boat as you.

Here is a useful exercise for finding out what you really want. Imagine, if you will, that you have just won fifty million dollars in the lottery. Close your eyes and imagine all the things you will do for the next few years. These may include buying expensive toys, traveling around the world, buying luxury homes, generally having a great time.

But what happens after a couple years when you get bored? Because inevitably you will. Even the wealthiest of the wealthy need something to do with their every day lives.

So close your eyes and imagine that you have already done all the things you wanted to do, that you have enhanced your life with luxury items, that you have more money than you could ever possibly need. What do you want to do now?

Whatever the answer to that question is, that is something you should begin working towards immediately! Even if what you are doing for a living bears no relation to this goal, once you have identified what it is, you can still begin working towards it.