Posted by Ravi on March 21, 2003 at 12:26:34:
Hello Dick:
Haven't spoken to you in a long time. I really enjoyed your brief summary of what it really takes to be successful, not only as a network marketer but as an individual as well. Attitude, Committment and Enthusiasm are the cornerstones of our very being. These are our god given gifts. How we use them is up to us. We can go through life conditioning ourselves in the belief that 'nothing works for me', 'I'm not smart enough', 'the stars werent in perfect alignment when I was born' and a plethora of other excuses why certain goals are unattainable for us. And we really start believing this when some things in our lives didnt quite turn out the way we wanted them to. We develop a negative attitude. To an extent, this is understandble. The bottom line is, it is painful to go through these episodes of failing, so why revisit such experiences. But one thing which I and others MUST try to understand is, that a negative attitude is not a congenital defect but a learned behavior which we have control over.
You made a very good point on the power of the mind. Something to the effect of, 'if you can think it, you can be it'. And attitude is the foundation of this unlimited power. Having a negative attitude is not a rational thought. Why would someone want to go through life all "bummed out" so to speak, but many of us do. I think we become so accustomed to having these thoughts that with time, they actually become a part of our pesonality. Somewhat ingrained in our minds. In order to change this..and again it is a choice, we must step out of ourselves and take an objective look as to why we behave in this negative fashion.
We must understand that certain things in our lives such as family, friends, media, etc., are constantly feeding and moulding our thoughts without us even being aware of it. That is why it so important for us to stay vigilant as to what we allow in to our minds.
To have and maintain a positive attitude, we must first make a commitment to ourselves before we can commit to anything else. It is just as simple to have a bad attitude as it is to have a good one...it is a choice. Is it that easy? No! for me it isnt. But I am trying my darned best. Sometimes it becomes a battle within you between a positive attitude and a negative one, a frown or a smile. What I do is keep a check on my emotions, feelings. When I feel down or depressed, I immediately question the feeling and try to trace it to its root. What is causing me to feel this way? Is this a rational way of thinking which is causing me to feel this way? I know that this is not a symptom of a disease in my body, it is all inside my head and therefore I can either stay at this miserable state or think of something...anything positive....and get the hell away fast from this uncomfortable state. I find that this works well for me...to take an inventory of what the hell is causing this. And also I just try to stay upbeat...when I wake, I tell myself, god has given me another day, im so insignificant in the universe but at the same time so powerful...this is truly amazing. I can choose to smile and brighten up the world or I can frown and suck the energy from the universe needlessly. I choose to smile.
Thank you Dick for reminding us of something so vitally important, especially for networkers. Hopefully next time you can speak about how to maintain a positive attitude. External motivation is fantastic but short lived for most. If we could learn to motivate ourselves from within with concrete personal beliefs, that would be everlasting.
Peter, I still read all your posts. They are informative, thought-provoking, and just darn good.
Thanks for the care you put into your posts. I look forward to being an active member of this organization in the near future.