“Ability is what you're capable
of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines
how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz
There are three primary aspects of your
life tha!t will determine whether or not you are successful
in your endeavors. You will not be successful if you have
only one or two. You must have all three working together.
Consider them like the three legs of a “stool of success.”
Ability – the level
at which you are able to actually do things. Your skill
level. If you have a high level of skill, that’s good.
And the better you get, the better it will be for you. To
the degree that you can perform your actions at higher and
higher skill levels, the more and more success you will
find in your chosen field.
Motivation – the
level at which you are able to find “a reason to act.”
This is the internal drive that you find that enables you
to exercise your abilities. To the degree that you can find
a way, or ways, to keep yourself motivated, you will see
yourself right in the thick of things, carrying out your
actions to the best of your abilities and succeeding accordingly.
Attitude – this
is the mental state that you have while carrying out your
actions to the best of your ability. It is the way you view
the world around you and choose to see it, either positively
or negatively. To the degree that you can maintain a positive
attitude about yourself, others, and the circumstances you
find yourself in, you will see yourself achieving greater
and greater things.
“But Chris, can’t I get away
with just two?”
No.
What if you have high skills and motivation
but a rotten attitude? People will stay away and hinder
your success. What if you have a good attitude and motivation
but poor skills? People will like you, maybe even root for
you, but go to someone else with the skills they need. What
if you have great skills and attitude but no motivation?
Well, you’ll be sitting on the couch like a lazy slug
while the go-getters are out there making your money and
achieving your dreams!
No, it takes all three. So let’s
ask some questions:
Ability: How highly skilled
are you? Is your skill level holding you back? How so? What
could you achieve if you just took your skills to the next
level beyond where they are right now? How would improving
your skills improve the bottom line of your success?
Motivation: How motivated
are you? Why do you answer that way? What would your spouse
or close friends say? Would they say you are as motivated
as you say you are? Why or why not? Why do you have the
level of motivation that you have? What could you do to
find a higher level of motivation? What would happen if
you became super motivated for the next period of your life.
What great things would happen?
Attitude: Do you have
a good attitude or a poor one? How would you rate yourself?
What about when things go wrong? Are you more of an optimist
or a pessimist? What would happen if you took your attitude
to the next level for the next 60 days? What if you just
chose to have an incredible attitude? What would be the
ramifications?
“The world cares very little about
what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is
able to do that counts.” Booker T. Washington
This is so true. People will judge you
on what you accomplish, not what you know or what you talk
about. In fact, if you know a lot or talk a lot but do not
accomplish anything, people will wonder what happened. So
the question is whether or not you will take the actions
necessary to deliver on your potential. To do so, you will
need to focus in on the three legs of the stool of success:
Your ability, your motivation, and your attitude.
Take some time this week to give some
serious thought to these three areas. Your success depends
on it! And when you have done some reflection – put
the conclusions you come to into action!
Chris Widener is a popular speaker
and writer, as well as the President of Made for Success.
Visit his websites at http://www.madeforsuccess.com Copyright
2003 Made for Success. Used by permission. All rights reserved
worldwide.
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