Attitude decides one's altitude in life

Attitude plays a major role in bringing the best performance in organizations. Most often, attitudes are acquired through ones own experiences in life, be it good or bad. The question is whether the emphasis is on skill building or attitude building. If more people knew what it fetches, if they develop and maintain a positive attitude they would probably invest more time in doing so. Success is a process not an event. If we believe we are born to win, we should also know that to be a winner we must plan to win, prepare to win, and then we can hope to win. Begin the day and end the day by reading or doing something positive, which will have lasting impact on the efficiency of the work you wish to accomplish for the day. Invest the time in building appropriate attitude and it will pay off in enhancing ones skills as well as ones performance, which are essential to move up in career. The process of transfer of training has a great impact on job performance, effectiveness and satisfaction. There is a limited number of studies focusing specifically on the role of managers in the process. Some of the important studies on effectiveness of training have broadly focused on the impact of managers reinforcement on participants job attitude, performance, efficacy and satisfaction in the process of the transfer of knowledge, skill and attitude to be acquired through training programs in the workplace. A recent model based on dispositional influences on training-related aspects of motivation predicted influences of the `big five personality variables on motivation to learn and transfer motivation, while controlling for general attitudes toward training. This model was tested empirically, drawing on a sample of 94 employees from various call centers who participated in a training program. Results indicated that motivation to learn was assessed by extraversion and agreeableness, and transfer motivation was assessed by motivation to learn, extraversion, and emotional stability. The impact of extraversion on transfer motivation was partially mediated by motivation to learn. In sum, the importance of dispositional factors in training was explored and clarified. This is one example which goes strongly in favor of supporting the doctrine that training towards attitude building affects motivation to learn and performance. If increased profitability is an organizational goal, one of the first things to focus on is the work culture of an organization, which has an impact on its productivity. Work or corporate culture basically is the sum total of the formal and informal systems through which things happen in an organization. The work culture not only reflects the organizational flowchart, but also reflects who really has the decision-making power to make things happen and how that power is exercised. The strongest component of work culture is the beliefs and attitudes of the employees who are the main constituents of making up the culture. If these cultural norms contain negative beliefs such as, Around here, nobody dares make waves or become creative or Do just enough to get along and others will leave you to your own sphere, then the organizations performance will reflect those beliefs accordingly.

On the other hand, if the corporate cultural system contains positive approaches such as, Winners are rewarded here or People really care if you do a good job in this organization or Innovative ideas are highly valued, then the same will be reflected in the organizations performance. No amount of high-sounding corporate jargon or mottos will really affect bottom line performance unless the employees belief systems have produced and sustained a productive culture that is in consonance with the organizations mission. If increased profitability is an organizational goal, one of the first things to focus on is the work culture of an organization, which has an impact on its productivity. Work or corporate culture basically is the sum total of the formal and informal systems through which things happen in an organization. The work culture not only reflects the organizational flowchart, but also reflects who really has the decision-making power to make things happen and how that power is exercised. The strongest component of work culture is the beliefs and attitudes of the employees who are the main constituents of making up the culture. If these cultural norms contain negative beliefs such as, Around here, nobody dares make waves or become creative or Do just enough to get along and others will leave you to your own sphere, then the organizations performance will reflect those beliefs accordingly. On the other hand, if the corporate cultural system contains positive approaches such as, Winners are rewarded here or People really care if you do a good job in this organization or Innovative ideas are highly valued, then the same will be reflected in the organizations performance. No amount of high-sounding corporate jargon or mottos will really affect bottom line performance unless the employees belief systems have produced and sustained a productive culture that is in consonance with the organizations mission. The past gave us a wealth of experiences, and the present gives us a chance to use them wisely! We all have the same 24 hours in a day..it is our Attitude that determines how well we use the time we are given! So why do some choose to make the most of each precious minute while others choose to waste it away? I think this boils down to our self-worth and sense of value or significance in the world. Our attitude is a manifestation of everything we feel about ourselves, and this is where our work on our personal philosophy becomes so imperative. After all, it is the choices we make based on the knowledge we have acquired (our personal philosophy) that shapes our attitude! This is where personal growth and development comes in to play. The journey is not always easy, but keep in mind that the very worst days experienced by someone who devotes themselves to personal growth are better than the very best days of those who do not! We see all kinds of people in our daily lives - some living very successful and happy lives while some struggling with a mediocre life. The successful ones seem to be full of energy and enthusiasm and generally always charged up. The other kind of guys we find to be grim, upset, stressed etc. The question that always comes in my mind is whether the attitude is the result of the circumstances or vice versa.

After observing a lot of people very closely I discovered that there are some who have a "never say die" spirit in them. They put up with failures with a brave face and look forward to the future with high expectations. They seem to be the eternal optimists who always have a positive outlook and self confidence. They expect the future to be better and work towards making it happen. They are like the "Bulls" in the stock market always pushing the prices up !! There are also other types who have a pessimistic outlook. Perhaps, their own experience and background leads them to think this way. They are generally wary of what lurks around the corner, wear a suspicious outlook, are worried about what can and will go wrong etc. They anticipate problems so much that sometimes they go about creating it. Whenever things do go wrong, as they sometimes will, these guys would turn around and say "I told you so". My own take on this is that, by being positive we are enjoying the present. We neither lament on the failures of the past nor do we get overwhelmed about the possible disasters of the future. We are not reckless but take due precautions where necessary. We charge the environment around us with positive energy. We end up attracting others towards us as well as becoming attractive in the eyes of the others. We attract and gain success by our positive attitude. Imagine your brain as a garden and you as the gardener. What do you allow to grow in the fertile soil of your brain? Ideas have consequences in a persons life, much like plants produce fruit in a garden. The key question is what fruit is being harvested from the plants growing in your garden? Attitude is a choice, being the ability to choose the proper response consistently, no matter what the stimulus. Its not what happens to you in life that matters as much as how you respond to what happens to you. No one can plant weeds in your garden without your permission, but sadly, most people are not tending the garden; therefore, weeds grows as a matter of course through the associations they have in life. Most people allow life to plant any seeds in their garden, producing whatever results the seeds create. Sadly, this surrenders the results of life to ones surroundings, rather than to ones choices. Attitudes in life determines the altitudes of life. When one decides to move on, one must assume the responsibility to tend his garden, pulling weeds daily, while nurturing the proper fruit producing ideas. Why is it easier to have stinking thinking than it is to have positive thinking? Its the same answer as to why its easier to have weeds grow in a garden, than it is to have fruit. We didnt make the rules of the game of life, but we must learn to apply the rules in our favor to win in the game. Most people when they fail at a task, quickly develop coping mechanisms like blaming, excuse making, etc, to lessen the pain of defeat. But people with a positive attitude know that a temporary defeat is only another lesson on how not to win. Thomas Edison was asked how he failed hundreds of times on his way to discovering the incandescent light bulb. His answer should be learned by all potential achievers. Edison said that he hadnt failed hundreds of times, but actually had successfully learned hundreds of ways

that it wouldnt work. Failure is never final to a person with a good attitude. All winners discipline their thinking to ensure that the failures in life are merely stepping stones to further advancements. No one has to be a failure in life, but all of us will go through failure events. Whether we ultimately succeed or fail, has much to do with our perspectives on failures. Winston Churchill, a man with a stellar attitude, said, Success is going from one failure to another with no loss in enthusiasm. There are five key concepts to tending your mental garden, allowing the right attitudes to prosper while choking out the stinking thinking. Theres a humorous story told of two young brothers. One terminally a positive spirit, the other, oppositely, a negative spirit. The parents decided to run a test, wanting to see if they could affect the attitudes of the two young boys. At Christmas time, the parents filled one room with games, toys, and nearly any gift a young boy could desire. In another room, the parents loaded a wheelbarrow full of horse manure. On Christmas morning, the parents opened up the room with all the toys, allowing both boys to see into the room, but only letting the negative child enter. Not surprisingly, the child played for a while, and then, complaining that he couldnt find all of the toys that he wanted, sat in the corner pouting. Instead of recognizing all of the gifts that he received, he focused on the few things that he still lacked, robbing him of the joy in life. The parents, with the positive child in tow, headed to the other room with the horse manure, opening up the door and letting the positive boy enter. Right away the boy enthusiastically ran around the room, searching frantically, looking for something. After watching this for several minutes, the parents asked him why he was so excited. The boy, looking up at his parents with a twinkle in his eye replied, With this much horse manure, Im sure theres a pony in here somewhere! The young boy had an attitude, an attitude that each one of can choose on a daily basis. The key to a healthy attitude is to guard your associations. There is an old southern saying, If you hang out with dogs, you get fleas. Tell me who a person associates with, and I will tell you the persons attitudes. Birds of a feather flock together. Since associations do influence us, its critical to ensure the associations are influencing our attitudes in a positive direction. One cannot hang out with upbeat, forward looking, moving on people without developing an upbeat, forward looking, moving on attitude. Conversely, one cannot hang out with negative, bitter, resentful, complaining, critical spirited people without becoming negative, bitter, resentful, complaining, and critical spirited oneself. If I want to develop a positive attitude, then I need to surround myself with other positive attitudes. When one is serving others, it helps in providing a greater perspective on ones own challenges. Self centered people are so wrapped up in themselves, that they cannot see, let alone serve, the hurting people around them. Predictably, self centered people have attitude issues, because they are internally focused, all their issues become magnified, having no comparison to anothers troubles. Serving others is one of the best ways to maintain a positive attitude, lightening your own load by lightening others loads. One cannot help another without feeling better about ones self. This is a principle of life, neglected by many, but a key factor in all

healthy attitudes. By serving others through their challenges, it gives strength and encouragement when facing your own. The term attitude has both positive and negative aspects. An incident that happened in the United States of America comes in handy to explain the difference between the two. A company, manufacturing slippers, wished to explore the market for the product in a little known island. The organization deemed it fit to send a representative for the purpose. The employee proceeded to the place and found that none of the inhabitants was sporting slippers. Since he had a negative mindset, he reported that the chances of marketing the product are dim as no one wore slippers. Not pleased with the report, the management sent another representative to the island. This person reported that there was a great opportunity to market slippers since no one sported it. No wonder, the company implemented the second report and achieved creditable success. It is this positive attitude that is essential in all walks of life to achieve any progress worth the name. Our lives have meaning and purpose, detecting that purpose, producing results, and sharing with our gifts with others in need, is the goal of every life well lived. Life is a gift given from above, what a shame that most of us give it back unopened.