Success Through Attitude: How Your Attitude Can Make or Break You
07 19 2016
“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, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
—CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Have you ever heard the saying, “Attitude is everything”?
I am a firm believer in that. I was first introduced to this quote by Charles Swindoll in my junior year of high school by my mother. At the time, being a normal lackadaisical teenager, I didn’t truly appreciate the quote. Surprising, right? Why would a 17-year-old teenager with the world at his fingertips and approaching the journey of being an adult take advice from his parents? I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought they knew everything before ever actually truly experiencing anything. Now, I have the quote framed, sitting on my desk, staring at me. As time has gone on and I now approach my 30th birthday (yikes!), this quote has been a backbone to who I have become and how I approach both my work life and my everyday life.
I have worked in five different industries over the course of eight years. I have worked in restaurants where I barely made enough money for rent, I have worked in sales where I’ve felt the sting of constantly being rejected, and I have worked in the rat race of the financial industry. I have fallen on my face more times than I have tasted victory, and trust me when I say I am not getting a call from Forbes magazine anytime soon. You could say I have had a lot of different life experiences in my short career. Every day is a new journey and a new learning experience. But with every failure that I have experienced, every obstacle I have had to overcome, I’ve come to realize that the only thing I can control in those situations is how I react to it.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
Working in the field of project management at StratComm, for me that part of the quote could not be any more true. Anyone who has worked in this field knows that there are variables that affect your job that you have no control over—some for the better, some for the worse. Whatever is thrown at you, you have to be able to adapt quickly, thoroughly, and above all, correctly, because the fate of your project depends on it. The same can be true in any industry, really. At the end of the day, there are always going to be obstacles that you have to overcome. How you react to those obstacles will go a long way in determining your success. When you have a positive attitude, you can deal with problems more effectively and will end up bouncing back more quickly from mistakes and setbacks.
Who would you rather work with—the constant complainer who seems down on his luck and constantly focuses on the negative, or the person always finding new opportunities and looking at things in a positive light? Sign me up with the “glass half full” person. When working on a team, you need to be able to do a multitude of things such as communicate effectively, juggle responsibilities, solve problems, and make decisions.
We have a choice every day about the attitude we will embrace for that day.
So embrace your obstacles and embrace the challenge of making the choice of what attitude will dictate your life. Challenge yourself every day to be your best self. Once you realize the impact of your attitude and accept the fact that you hold the keys to your own success, the world is your oyster.
Will Spencer
Project Manager at StratComm
