The Only True Disability Is A Bad Attitude

Several years ago, I heard motivational speaking legend Zig Ziglar say,

“It is your attitude, more than your aptitude, that will determine your altitude.”

When he said it, a lot of people saw it as mere fluff. After all, Zig was a salesman. What did he know?

Apparently quite a bit.

? 1. Research proves the power of a positive attitude.

The latest research proves he was right. In fact, attitude is a better predictor of success in life than IQ, grade point average, family background, or almost any other factor you can think of.

Dr. Seligman even found that positive people make more money. In one long-term study of 1500 people, the people in group A took a particular job because they believed they could make lots of money, even though they didn’t care that much about the job itself. The people in group B took their jobs because they happened to love those jobs.

Twenty years later, the two groups had produced 101 millionaires. The amazing thing is, only one of those millionaires came from group A, but 100 of them came from group B. That's significant.

Even more amazing, over 70% of those millionaires never went to college. And over 70% of those who became CEO's graduated in the bottom half of their class. Seligman concluded that it was their attitude, more than their aptitude, which determined their altitude.

I see it in my coaching clients and audience members all the time. The biggest prizes seldom go to the people with the most experience. The happiest and most productive people seem to have an indomitable positive attitude … in good times … and especially in bad times.

That being the case, how can you build an unshakeable positive attitude? How can you maintain a victorious attitude when you feel beaten down by others? I’ve found eight things that work super well. Let me share one of them with you.

? 2. Refuse to blame anyone or anything for your problems.

That's not easy. And it's not natural. After all, the government, your competitors, the public, your family, your friends, and your spouse might even deserve some blame.

The problem is … it doesn't work. It doesn't change anything and it doesn't make anything better. All blame can do is keep you stuck or make you spiteful, neither of which will turn you into a winner.

Take your job, for example. Maybe you feel stuck in a position that is going nowhere or maybe you think your organization is doing nothing to invest in your career development. A loser could spend hours talking to other losers about those issues, blaming other people.

Oh sure, blaming someone or something for your problems might make you feel better ... temporarily. After all, it takes the weight off your back. But the price you pay for blaming, for shrugging off responsibility, for giving up control … is a life of mediocrity and career failure.

You may have wondered why one salesperson prospers while another suffers in the same situation. It’s the age-old question. But the answer is simple. The suffering salespeople are wasting their time on blame … while the prospering salespeople are investing their time, learning how to get better at what they do.

Let me offer you two contrasting examples. I happen to know two people very well who are very much alike. They own two almost identical real estate businesses. Their businesses are in neighboring, very similar towns. My observation is that they are equally skilled in the technical and administrative aspects of their business.

One, Mary Ann, has struggled for about seven years just to stay in business. She has gained very little, if any, financial ground during those years. Her life is a day-to-day struggle for survival.

The other person, Jennifer, started six years ago. Her business has grown by 10% to as much as 30% each year, every year.

When I talk with Mary Ann, I hear a lengthy discourse on all the outside influences that negatively affect her business. The economy, taxes, banks that won't give out mortgages, climate change, and her list goes on and on and on. Every time I talk with Mary Ann, I hear the same list. A broken record playing over and over again.

I acknowledge, by the way, that these factors do exist. I am frustrated by some of them myself. But the issue is not the existence of these factors. The issue is how much control Mary Ann lets them have over her business. Every time Mary Ann recites her list, she shuffles off responsibility for her situation and that temporarily helps her feel better. But with the responsibility goes the control.

When I talk with Jennifer, these matters only occasionally come up. Instead, she talks excitedly about the innovative strategies she has discovered and developed to keep her real estate business growing regardless of external influences. Often, she'll say something like, 'I really screwed up on this situation. Let me tell you what I missed and what I'm doing about it.' Jennifer accepts all the responsibility for her success or failure, her errors and her achievements, and because she does, she retains control.

So the question comes back to you. Are you more like Mary Ann, stuck in a rut, going nowhere, trying to survive, but ready to give a dozen excuses for your career challenges? Or are you more like Jennifer, acknowledging your problems but taking responsibility to find a way through them?

The first step in positive attitude development is refusing to blame anyone or anything for your situation. Even though it may be justified, don't do it. Just accept the fact that some days you are the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

By the way, we spend a significant amount of time in my upcoming Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program on how to build and keep an unshakeable positive attitude. The strategies can be life changing, so you really should join us on October 3-4, 2024.

Listen to Colleen Kokenge, a team leader at Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. She says,

“I always considered myself to be someone with a positive attitude. But at your ‘Journey-To-The-Extraordinary’ program, I learned about the '50 Killer Statements' that sneak into our comments at work ... phrases like ... ‘I’m too busy … or … We’ve always done it this way … and … That wouldn’t work here.’ I didn’t realize that I was subtly, accidentally de-motivating myself and my team mates. So I’ve stopped using those Killer Statements, and it’s amazing how much more optimistic I feel when I don’t use those phrases.”

“But that’s just the beginning of the changes I made as a result of your Journey. I learned how to build the self-esteem of my staff, and their effective behaviors and productivity outputs have increased dramatically. Yeah, of course, I knew some of this before I attend“I always considered myself to be someone with a positive attitude. But at your ‘Journey-To-The-Extraordinary’ program, I learned about the '50 Killer Statements' that sneak into our comments at work ... phrases like ... ‘I’m too busy … or … We’ve always done it this way … and … That wouldn’t work here.’ I didn’t realize that I was subtly, accidentally de-motivating myself and my team mates. So I’ve stopped using those Killer Statements, and it’s amazing how much more optimistic I feel when I don’t use those phrases.”

“But that’s just the beginning of the changes I made as a result of your Journey. I learned how to build the self-esteem of my staff, and their effective behaviors and productivity outputs have increased dramatically. Yeah, of course, I knew some of this before I attended the Journey, but the big difference is you taught me HOW to do it … and NOW I’m doing it.”ed the Journey, but the big difference is you taught me HOW to do it … and NOW I’m doing it.”

So let me ask you a question. Are you more of a person who blames others and blames other factors for your problems, and as a result, get down and stuck? Or are you more of a person who refuses to waste your time on blame and focuses instead on what you can do about it?

I hope you fall into that second category because it will make all the difference in your world.

For a copy of Dr. Zimmerman’s latest book, The Champion Edge: Skill Sets That Fire Up Your Business and Life, go to https://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/the-champion-edge-skill-sets-that-fire-up-your-business-and-life/

To subscribe to Dr. Zimmerman’s free weekly Internet newsletter, the Tuesday Tip, or to give someone else a free subscription, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/subscribe. You’ll also receive Dr. Z’s whitepaper on 93 Truths for Unlimited Happiness and Success.

To receive more information on Dr. Z’s speaking, training, and leadership coaching, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/.