The Fuel for Success is Attitude

Success and a positive attitude almost never come separately. The connection between them cannot be broken. Negativity and failure often times are connected too. When striving to succeed a positive attitude is like a laser pointed at your goal. Positive self talk is the food for that attitude. Positive internal talk creates the platform for progress. When those negative thoughts try to creep in, that is the time to focus on the goal, re-fire that desire, and examine the path to the goal. Negative thoughts can easily distort the path and lead away from the goal. Just as positive self talk is food for a positive attitude negative self talk will be the poison. Not always will a positive attitude bring success, but a negative attitude will always bring failure. A positive attitude will always bring about a success from a failure that is something a negative attitude can never do.

Surrounding yourself with positive people is one of the most important aspects of having and maintaining an outlook of success. Having an inner circle of great friends with awesome attitudes becomes contagious. The energy of awesome attitudes multiplies and grows. Surrounding yourself with people intent on complaining rather than doing can derail positive thoughts. Having your inner circle full of people with half full cups is the key to your own success. It is important to have friends that encourage you to achieve excellence. Individuals with half empty cups see challenge as a reason to not to take on a task. It is easy to avoid challenge, but easy seldom brings reward. Hard work brings reward. Hard work, however, becomes drudgery when coupled to a poor attitude.

Positive outlooks will keep the reward of the task a conscience and integrated part of a challenging endeavor. Challenges and difficult tasks become fun and energizing when the end reward and ultimate goal are kept in sight. Running is a great example of a difficult task. Running for conditioning can literally become an exercise in drudgery. Running with the frame of mind that sparring, Katas, basics, and calisthenics will all improve from the conditioning provided by consistent running, energizes and motivates a desire to gain that reward. Tasks and challenges that need to be completed or overcome to reach a goal become the fuel to move you forward when approached with a champion’s attitude.

A champion’s attitude is positive, energetic, driven, and filled with enthusiasm. Every obstacle and challenge is approached as something that will be conquered. Writing down and setting goals is essential to champions. However, without the proper attitude goals can easily be set aside, put away to gather dust and will become distant dreams that never materialize. Attitude creates champions and gives them the power and fuel to reach goals. Setting goals without a winning mindset is like driving a car on an empty gas tank. Without attitude fuel in your tank the trip to success will see you stuck on the side of road.

Don’t get stuck. Fill your mind with positive thoughts, take on a winning mindset, and then achievement will come. Champions win with attitude more often than skill alone. The belief in success is the fire of desire. Believe to achieve. Create your success and reach your goals by believing you can. Greatness in achievement comes from greatness in attitude.

Martial Artists, and most importantly Black Belts, should always display a positive attitude. We want to be proud of our Art. We want others who meet us to see that the Martial Arts do more than teach people how to kick and punch. A Martial Artist wants to be the person that lights up the room when they come and show the world that we not only mastered the physical art but that we have become or are becoming Black Belts and masters of our attitude. Our cups should always be half full and not half empty. Be the person who stands out as the one always lighting and keeping the fire of desire going.