Attitudes that Don't Foster Success

Success is attainable for those who seek it with both their thoughts and their actions. Unfortunately, people tend to give significantly more attention to their actions, not remembering that their thoughts and attitudes can dramatically impact their failure and success. Too often the negative messages we hear while we’re growing up and our overall conditioning further contribute to anti-success attitudes. For example, you likely have a negative attitude toward success if you repeatedly encountered the following types of messages while growing up:

• Don’t expect too much; you’ll just be disappointed in the end.


• You’re not good enough to deserve good things.


• Life is about dealing with problems.


• People are out to pull you down with them, not pick you up.


• Your capabilities are limited.


• When you don’t expect anything good from a situation, you’re being practical.


• “Optimism” is just another word for wishful thinking.

While these specific messages might seem harsh, peers and parents often unwittingly pass them along via their own attitudes and actions. For instance, constantly comparing one sibling to another can make one feel as though she can’t measure up or has only limited talents and abilities. Beliefs like this breed low self-esteem and ultimately result in failure.

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