The Right Attitude

Control and influence what you can, and the rest will sort itself out.

By Roger Seip

I’ve recently found myself speaking to groups about what I believe is the single most misunderstood success principle—attitude. I say it’s the most misunderstood for two reasons.

Almost every person we’ve surveyed tells us they know the importance of attitude and have a very clear understanding of what it is. Yet when I ask them for a definition, 99 percent can’t come up with anything. Can you?

When asked whether attitude is a talent or a skill, many people argue that their attitude is a talent. They seem to think that if their attitude is hindering their progress, there is little or nothing to be done. I was amazed when I realized this!

First of all, I’ll give you the simple definition: Attitude is the way you choose to view your world. It’s a matter of outlook and is definitely a matter of choice. You alone are responsible for cultivating the attitude that gets the results you want and deserve. It also means that no one can rob you of your attitude unless you let him.

So in the interest of improving these alarming statistics, let’s look at some attitude strategies—tools to help you maintain a winning attitude. These tools cost nothing, yet they will improve your level of energy and enthusiasm immediately.

The CIA model
No, I don’t mean you should hire a spy to monitor your attitude. CIA is an acronym: control, influence, accept. When you are facing a situation, the first thing you should decide is which of these categories it falls into. Can you control it or influence it, or must you just accept it?

Control: There’s only one thing you truly control: your choices. Most situations are beyond your control, but what you do in those situations is up to you. In his book, The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey says the most important thing he’s learned is that you have the power to choose. When you control that, everything about life improves immediately.

Influence: If you have influence over a situation, the more you exercise that influence, the better you’ll feel about it. For one thing, when you exercise your influence, you are much more likely to get good results. You have influence over many things: your environment, clients, situations, health, etc. Influence what you can, and your attitude improves. Secondly, even if you don’t get the results you’re looking for, you did your best. You eliminate guilt, the biggest attitude sinker.

Acceptance: I see people who get depressed over things they have no control over—weather, traffic, sporting events, etc. If you have no control and no influence over a situation, the only healthy way to deal with it is to accept it and move on.

Take action
One of my favorite sayings is: “You can act your way to healthy thinking faster than you can think your way to healthy acting.” Becoming bummed out, frustrated or depressed stems from overusing our minds and not choosing to act on things enough. If you want to instantly boost your energy and enthusiasm, do something! Action cures fear, doubt and worry. Physical action is the key to an instant attitude boost, specifically two kinds of action. Set a clear goal and start working on it. Or take up any form of physical exercise. Did you know that when treating depression, the first thing doctors prescribe is 20 minutes of exercise daily?

Try these once, and see how much your energy and enthusiasm rise instantly. I wish you success on your journey!

Roger Seip is co-founder of Freedom Speakers and Trainers (www.deliverfreedom.com), which offers workshops on memory training, goal setting, time management and communication skills. He can be reached at 888-233-0407.