10 Surefire Ways a Positive Attitude Increases Success To remain optimistic, discipline your mind to stay clear of catastrophic, bogged-down thoughts and the "what if" slippery slope of anxiety.
By Sherrie Campbell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Your attitude is so much like an inner architect building resilience in your mindset.
What's at stake? Your outlook involves your perception of success (or failure) and has a big impact on the viability of your career. The great thing is, setting your attitude is your choice.
See all the ways below that you can positively enhance your attitude:
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1. Find your inner coach.
What you think about yourself, your abilities, financial gains (or losses) and your assessment of your ability to succeed becomes what you might actively live out. Actions follow thoughts.
To be successful, choose your thoughts wisely and deliberately.
When your attitude is unproductive and you need to shift from a negative thought pattern, draw upon your inner coach: Reprogram fearful, defeatist thinking toward thoughts charged with power, conviction and faith. Focus on your ability to meet your goals.
Learn to coach yourself into a productive state of mind. This coaching can lead to forward movement and can be reignited anytime you face a setback.
Think of your attitude with this equation: Energy = Motion. From this paradigm, attitude determines movement forward or back.
2. Determine incentives.
Discover what motivates you to take action. Think back to what has inspired you to make changes in your life and pursue your goals. Knowing why you do what you do is vital to your current motivation and passion.
Is your incentive financial gain? Is it self-preservation, stability, anger or fear? Having clear incentives can instantly shift your attitude to a positive one.
When you can motivate yourself toward a goal, your attitude becomes infused with your inner power, enthusiasm and passion. Your outlook on business is elevated. You walk faster, smile more and carry a posture of self-assuredness, all of which draws even more success your way.
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3. Set benchmarks.
Select benchmarks to help you visualize goals so they seem to be right before you as you strive to develop your skills. To maintain an attitude of enthusiasm, create benchmarks of success and think about them intentionally and consistently.
The more deeply you believe a goal will come to pass, the more likely it will be. This type of mental practice keeps your attitude positive and directed toward attainment of success. I believe you naturally strive toward what you visualize.
4. Manage anxiety.
When challenges surface in business, you might experience a loss of control over emotions and thoughts. To remain optimistic, discipline your mind to stay clear of catastrophic thoughts and the "what if" slippery slope of anxiety.
Anxiety is simply fear projected forward. Remind yourself that a "what if" is not happening now: It is just a story. Focus on what you can control right now. Each thought is a seed you plant that programs your attitude and your subsequent behavior. To keep a great attitude, learn to focus your mind on solutions, not problems.
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5. Create a positive impression.
To reach your peak potential on the climb to success, be driven and shrewd but also happy and enjoyable to work for and with. The heights of success attained grow the more infectious your energy appears to other people.
Your personal vibe can either repel people or draw them in.
When you carry an attitude of excitement and vigor, this transfers to those around you and increases business morale. If your attitude is gregarious, infectious and all about living life to its fullest, you seem to have unlimited potential: You positively motivate others to support your attempt to achieve even higher levels of success.
6. Show your hunger.
Be hungry for success. That way a natural eagerness will permeate your attitude. It will seem that you cannot wait to get to work and put that hunger into motion.
This hunger becomes the emotional "speaker of the house." This energy serves as the driving force behind your attaining your goals when you have 100 percent commitment to what you are doing.
Total commitment cuts through doubt.
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7. Find the deeper meaning.
Connecting with your spiritual empowerment system will nuture your soul -- and your business. The deeper the connection you feel to the purpose of your business the more you will experience your higher life purpose as being expressed through your work.
Your business is a place where you have the ability to impact others positively on a grand scale. This type of empowerment gives meaning to what you're working for. You are able to see that your purpose is powerful and helpful in the lives of others, which further strengthens you to do what you do.
8. Carry some lightheartedness.
Find the humor and lighter side of life as you climb the ladder of success. This will decrease your stress. The less stress you feel, the more positive energy you will have available to support your hard work.
To be lighthearted is a great skill that lightens up the business environment around you. It adds charisma (a highly attractive quality) to your persona and breeds trust and the desire of others to want to work with you and for you.
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9. Engage in physical activity.
One of quickest ways to shift from a negative attitude is to change your physiology. If you are stressed, physical activity provides a quick release. This can help you cleanse a negative thought pattern and redirect your energy to seeing the positive.
Exercise (or movement of any sort) propels you into an altered state of mind, letting you increase your optimism. Movement provides a natural stress release, ideal for continued motivation and mental clarity. If you can't hit the gym on a stressful day, escape the office for a 15-minute walk to shift your outlook.
10. Aim for self-mastery.
To be successful, understand two things you have control over: your thoughts and feelings. If you are naturally more pessimistic, take responsibility for consciously selecting your attitude.
Exude positivity in your work ethic and in your interactions with others. When you master your inner world, you can dominate your outer world.
In the business world where every person has the same access to strive to build their resources, talent, finances, technology and the like, a person is often successful because of determination, resilience and attitude.
In business, attitude is everything. If you believe you can succeed, you very well might. Your attitude about success can become your self-fulfilling prophesy. Choose to be a victor.
Related: How to Train Your Brain to Stay Positive
