Your attitude is the tipping point to success or failure

You may have heard the quote from motivational speaker Zig Ziglar – “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” Or perhaps this gem from Henry Ford – “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you’re right.” Snappy little quotes? Yes, without a doubt. Trite quotes? Absolutely not.

Every day, life throws us challenges. Some of them are just mild inconveniences, others are life-changing events. Many of these events are completely beyond our control, whether they are good or bad. But while we can’t control what happens to us, we can absolutely control how we respond to them. Your response to life events is a choice; your attitude is your choice.

I had to learn this lesson the hard way when in 2008 my business partner fraudulently robbed us of over $500,000. He’d taken money out of the business, not paid taxes, and used the money to prop up his own failing business which ended up going bankrupt anyway. I was left with an enormous debt – nearly $750,000 once penalties and interest were applied – and facing the prospect of declaring bankruptcy myself.

I chose to do everything possible to pay back the debt. Despite the circumstances of how the debt was incurred, I decided the only option was to act with determination and integrity and face the debt head on. My wife and I sold our family home. We moved in with family and sold everything we could be to reduce the debt as much as possible.

The financial struggle was monumental, but it was the emotional battle that was beyond imagining. In addition to the money issues, life threw a series of other events at us – the death of beloved family members including my wife’s dad and a close family friend, a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy. It truly seemed that things could not get any more difficult. But every day, I would swing my legs out of bed, jump to my feet and greet life with positivity and enthusiasm. I knew that to overcome adversity, I had to hold my head up, smile in the face of it, and live in a space of positivity.

How to change your attitude

When somebody asks “How are you?” do you respond with a negative or a positive? I strongly encourage you to make the effort – and believe me I know that some days it really will be an effort – to respond in the positive, with something like “I’m great!” Your brain will hear these words, assume that these words are the truth and alight your body to act accordingly.

Think of your brain as a computer. If you input information into a computer, it will behave in a certain way. Your brain is the same; the information that goes into your brain will affect the way we think and feel, but it is your attitude towards these thoughts and feelings that determine how you act.

Why attitude matters for leadership

As a leader, your attitude and your energy is amplified by your followers. If your attitude and energy are positive, happy and buoyant, so too will be the attitude of your team and followers. Put simple, positive attracts positive.

Leaders with a great attitude get great results. Productivity is higher, morale is higher, and staff turnover is lower. Enthusiasm and positivity are contagious, but someone must start it. As a leader, you need to inject positive energy into your business so that energy can grow and spread.

Personal development plays a big role in developing a positive attitude. Through our Business for Life program, we’re helping business owners from across Australia to build a toolbox of skills that they can use to create and grow their businesses and lead more fulfilled lives. We’d love to chat about how we could help you. Call Bx on 1300 068 229 or find out about our Business for Life Program.