The Power of Attitude: How Changing My Mindset Changed My Life.

Attitude is not just a choice; it's a transformative power. It's the key that unlocks our potential, shaping our success, our relationships, and our future. Every day, we have the power to embrace positivity and transform our lives, even when life throws its hardest challenges at us. Let me share my story of how this transformative power changed my life.

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Before entering the car business, I was financially broke, directionless, and lost. Dropping out of high school in 10th grade was just one of the many poor decisions I made as a teenager. I grew up in a good, middle-class family—the wrong choices were entirely my own. Eventually, I returned to school, completed my education, and even attended and completed a 3-year program at a prestigious higher education institution. However, that didn't erase the mistakes I had made in my youth.

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In 1991, everything changed for me. At the time, I had no real future, vision, or goals—nothing to be proud of. I was doing odd construction jobs to scrape by. I didn't even know what I was earning back then—maybe $8, $10, or $12 bucks an hour. As a high school dropout, my mindset was one of failure, a belief programmed into me by those around me. "If you drop out, you're going nowhere," they said. And I believed it.

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Then, I met my future wife, Mari. I asked her out on a date, and to my astonishment, she said yes. A few months later, I asked her to marry me, and to my surprise, she said yes again. That moment changed everything. I didn't know it then, but that was my first actual sales close—and I didn't even have to handle any objections.

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A few months after that, we got married, and before long, we had our first child—a beautiful daughter baby girl named Alexsandra. Suddenly, I was 24 years old, married with a child, and without a clear future. But now, I had a family that I had to provide for.

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My turning point came when we went to collect food stamps. As we walked into that welfare office, something inside me—a voice I attribute to God—said, "Matt, it's time to change." I had no clue how, but I knew it was necessary.

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A few days later, I started job hunting. I walked into my first car dealership and met a man who would become my first mentor: Art Bell. He hired me on the spot. What he said during that interview will stay with me forever: "I don't care about your past or your education. I care about where you're going and what your goals are. Do you believe in yourself enough to achieve something?" That moment planted the seed of belief in me—a belief that, no matter my past, I had the power to shape my future. His guidance and support were instrumental in my growth, showing me that with the right mentor, anything is possible.

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Art told me that if I treated people right, stayed honest, and hustled, I'd be successful in the car business. So, I went home, excited, and told my wife the news. Naturally, she asked, "How much are they paying you?" I told her, "Nothing—it's all commission." She thought I had lost my mind. But despite that, she stood by me.

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The early days in the car business were tough. The training was minimal. In fact, there was no training. They handed me a pen, pointed to the inventory, said, "There's the inventory," pointed to the brochures, and said, "There's the brochures," and then said, go get a customer, good luck; if you need me, holla. LOL, that was the extent of my training. It was feast or famine—no sales, no income. But Art drilled one thing into me: attitude is everything. If you're positive, enthusiastic, and genuine, you'll succeed. He gave me a copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. That book and many others, like The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey, transformed my life. It taught me that attitude and self-belief are 90% of the battle. Even though I had made poor decisions in the past, my past didn't define me—my future did.

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Over time, I climbed the ranks from salesperson to finance manager and finance director, used car manager, sales director, general sales manager, and eventually general manager. Finally, I opened my own successful dealership and began earning more money than I ever dreamed. All of this happened because I changed my mindset from "I can't" to "I will."

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I don't tell this story to impress you but to impress upon you that if I can do it, so can you. There are countless stories of people without formal education or experience achieving their dreams simply because they believed they could. It's all about attitude and self-belief. Believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything.

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As we begin this journey together, challenge yourself to be positive daily. No matter what life throws your way, choose to see it from a positive perspective.

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I want to close with a powerful quote by Charles Swindoll, which captures the essence of attitude:

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"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, education, money, circumstances, failures, or successes. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace. We cannot change our past, nor the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is control our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...We are in charge of our attitudes."

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Charles Swindoll

If you're new to the car business, WELCOME. You're about to embark on an incredible journey that could change your life like it did mine. If you're a seasoned veteran looking to light that spark again, I hope my article does just that.

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Feel free to share this article with your colleagues and friends to inspire them to join you on this continuous learning journey. And in the comments, I'd love to hear about defining moments in your life that may have changed your career trajectory.

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Matt Wahnon