***Are commitment and attitude really important?

According to a Stanford Research Institute study, success is 88 percent attitude and 12 percent education. It’s not hard to believe; especially when you consider the opposite. Have you ever been convinced, persuaded, impressed or even trusted someone who shows up sometimes and does things half-heartedly? No. Wouldn’t you love for them to clean up their act, pull themselves together, say what they mean and mean what they say? Yes. So, you can’t expect people to employ you (or keep you), follow you or buy from you if that’s your attitude.

Why are commitment and a positive attitude so important?

 This is really one of those questions that make you wonder why they are formulated because the answer seems so obvious. But it is valuable to state the obvious.

1. When you are committed to something, with your drive and enthusiasm, you exude the energy of Life, of being alive. In fact, whatever it is you are focusing on makes you feel alive. You feel good about yourself. On the other hand, if you are not committed, you simply do the minimum of the minimum, at best, and probably feel useless, lifeless or disinterested.
1. Think of a time when you did something with total commitment. Can you feel that energy in your body?
2. Now think of a time when you did something with no commitment. Can you feel the lack of energy in your body?

1. Commitment and positive attitude breed qualities necessary for your success; such as patience, perseverance, courage, creativity or confidence.  When you are fully committed to something, you are focused on success and not obstacles. Your eyes are on the prize and you know it is worth any challenge. You want to put your spirit to the test. In fact, you get to enjoy the journey even more. When you are not committed, you stop at the first hurdle; sometimes even see one when there isn’t. Don’t let your fears, whether it’s fear of failure or fear of rejection for example, keep you from achieving your objectives. If you are committed, you realise that every “failure” is just a rehearsal for success. What if Edison wasn’t committed?

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
-Thomas A. Edison

1. Your attitude is a reflection of your view of the world and of your place in it. In other words, it shows how much you believe in yourself. Of course, sometimes, people will be there to show you aspects of yourself that you are blind to see or admit. But, if you don’t believe in yourself, don’t expect other people to believe in you. It is very easy to see when someone doesn’t believe in themselves. It comes across in their tone, choice of words, body language and actions (or lack thereof).

1. Your past, present and future are taken care of. Of course, there’s only NOW. And in the Now, you can feel confident about your track record, what you have accomplished. In this Now, you can contemplate your future full of confidence, you taste success and achievement. You realise how much potential you have, your goals and dreams get bigger and success-based. Your attitude automatically changes to one of success as you will realise you are an achiever and will not be willing to settle for less.

   Of course, before you decide to commit, you must make sure you are clear on what you really want. How disheartening is it to realise that you’re investing time, money and effort into something that you do not really want? Okay, ‘how do I do that, Gen?’ I hear you ask. You’re in luck, here are 5 steps to get clear on what you really want. In my next article, I will give you 3 straightforward exercises to do the reality check necessary and improve your chances of success.

   You cannot underestimate the power of commitment and a positive attitude. It really is the difference between success and failure.