Imagine that something unexpected or unwanted happens. What if you lost your job, or you ‘failed’ at something, or you didn’t meet your goal?
Well, we can’t control things that happen. What we can control though is our attitude – we can choose our outlook on what has happened.
This may sound simple and obvious, but yet, when we really need that attitude, we don’t always look for it – we get stuck in the ‘automatic’ reaction of anger, sadness, disappointment or sense of failure. And the key word here is of course to go LOOK for the attitude. It’s a choice and it can be made at any time, in any situation, whatever we face.
And an easy way to look for it and find it, is to be ready with an attitude, a thought, a mantra if you like, which can quickly get you on the right path of taking the next step to progress, success and results.
Here are a few examples that have helped us keep an optimistic attitude in challenging situations:
“It’s all happening perfectly”
Susan Jeffers PhD
“When things go wrong, don’t go with them”
Elvis Presley
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn”
Anonymous
Attitude is everything. Being able to look at ANY situation and find something good in it is a question of choosing our attitude to it.
We have met many people who have been disappointed/sad/angry when something happened and have later on realized that it was the best that could have happened to them.
- People who have lost their job and realised that it was the push they needed to take the long overdue step of doing something new that they had wanted to do for a while but not dared to take.
- People who have failed at something and then understood that they never would have come up with that brilliant new idea unless they had failed and had had to have a rethink.
- People who have experienced conflict within their team and realised that it made them take a new approach to teamwork, leading to better goal achievement and team climate.
Some of the best leaders we have ever met are extremely good at this. And as we are really keen for leaders to get ready for the future…do you think this a crucial ability to have? Absolutely, so do we. So many things will not go our way – it’s part of change – but our way of looking at it is ours to choose.
Attitude is everything, and one of the few things completely within our own control – if we choose to take it.
So go on, have an attitude!
About the authors
Mandy Flint & Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, award-winning authors of ”The Team Formula”.
Their latest book ”Leading Teams – 10 Challenges: 10 Solutions” is out now, published by Financial Times International.
Praise for ”Leading Teams: ”This book is a 21st-century guide on how to build a world-class team. I highly recommend it” Steve Siebold, Founder, Mental Toughness University, Florida USA.