Many years ago I received some exceptional advice from a mentor that has stayed with me to this day. He told me to stop trying to control things I couldn’t control. His recommendation was that I focus 100% of my attention on the things within my control. He also said to “block out” the uncontrollable things from my field of view because they were nothing more than distractions.
Through the years as I’ve considered his advice I’ve discovered there are far fewer controllable parts of my life than there are uncontrollable. I can influence what other people think of me but I can’t control their thoughts. I can try to influence their actions but people will eventually do whatever they think is best for them. The list of stuff I can’t control could go on forever.
But that’s okay because through the years I’ve also discovered that I can control, completely, two areas of my life which have the greatest impact on my success and happiness.
Those areas are attitude and effort.
In his timeless book “Man’s Search for Meaning” Viktor Frankl describes the “last of the human freedoms.” He says that last freedom, a freedom that can be taken from no one, is the choice of one’s own attitude. Every human on earth is free, regardless of their circumstances, to choose their own attitude. No one and nothing can take that freedom away from you.
Before you say “well Viktor Frankl never worked where I work. He never experienced how tough my life is. He just doesn’t know,” before you say any of that you should know that Viktor Frankl is a surviver of Nazi Concentration Camps. He knows.
He would tell you that his choice of a positive attitude was literally life saving.
I can only imagine, actually I can’t even imagine, how tough a fight it must have been each day for him to choose a positive attitude. But he fought the fight and won.
The choice of a positive attitude is a big fight for me even in my relatively cushy world. I lose that fight too often but this much I’m certain of: every single part of my life is better on the days I win that fight.
The question for you is will you consciously engage in that fight or will you allow other people and things to make the choice of your attitude for you?
When it comes to making an effort I realized early on that there was a direct correlation between the level of effort I put into something and the results I received from that effort. When I really want something I remember the words of the immortal Yoda who said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
You alone control the level of effort you’re willing to put into any endeavor. You can allow obstacles to stop you or you can learn from them and use them as launching pads to your next level of success. You can make excuses or you can make progress. It’s hard to do both.
As Babe Ruth said, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” If you allow yourself to be beaten you can be assured there is someone close by willing to put in the effort to do just that…beat you.
If you adopt Yoda’s thinking then you won’t try to succeed you’ll do it.
Attitude is a phase of mind, existing environment, human personality and interaction with people.
Which you control. 🙂
Hi Steve, individual attitude is one of my favorite topics to discuss in business. You have highlighted some essential points in your article. I would add that the key to a positive attitude is perspective. We can all look at our own lives, personal or professional, and find aspects that we are happy or discontent with. A mistake we often made is to compare our lives with those we see as “richer, more successful, or more powerful” than us. This is a recipe for negativity and a bad attitude.
Viktor Frankl’s live example you used is certainly an extreme demonstration that attitude is a personal choice and that no matter how powerless you may fell about a situation, there will always be one thing you can control; your attitude.
Thanks,
Thanks Gabriel, I agree with you completely, perspective is incredibly important. We don’t tend to see the world as it is… we see it as we are. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone happier when they compare themselves to someone else. And if you’re highly successful and need to compare yourself to someone you see as less successful in order to feel better about yourself then I’d say you’re not successful at all…
What a great lesson, I will work on my attitude, put effort to succeed. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Deborah, best of luck on your future success!
When Keith wrote Attitude Is Everything, at first I didn’t understand it until when I trailed on the wrong path and learn my lessons. When you note ATTITUDE, you highlight it’s positivity and creativity.
To be successful, you got a great story to tell which can be made real with the right attitude.
It’s not about what people insinuate about you, the challenges or criticism what do motivate you is how you weathered the storm and let your creativity define your success.
Hi Steve! Your article is true reflection of what I strongly believe in my day to day life !
SUN is considered is source of Life to living things in this planet … similarly AE is life lines for human beings !
Thank you sir, I appreciate you making the effort to comment. 🙂