1. Changing Your Attitude is Essential to Success in Business and Life
I’m not where I’m supposed to be.
I’m not what I want to be.
But I’m not what I use to be.
I haven’t learned how to arrive.
I have just learned how to keep going.
If you can live these words you will be on a path for success in business and life. Writer and
Artist Elbert Hubbard observed: The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely
know when we passed it – so fine that we are often on the line and we don’t know it. How
many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience,
would have achieved success? That’s why we need to dedicate ourselves to small steps of
improvement. Who knows if the next small step will provide the break through we’ve been
seeking?
How people respond to change – Because people don’t like change, most of them do not react
to change very well. Their response creates more problems for them in their daily business
practices. The person insisting on using yesterday’s business practices in today’s business
climate will not be in business tomorrow or their business will die a slow death. Most people
would rather change their circumstances than improve their business. When, instead they
need to change themselves to improve their circumstance in business. Most people will not
pay the immediate price to change their business practices and end up paying the ultimate
price for not seeking to change. Making meaningful changes in your everyday business practice
is essential if you want to maximize your ability to pay the price of learning, set yourself up for
change and grow professionally. The following five steps will assist you in changing your
attitude to be successful in business:

2. 1) Change Yourself – Part of human conditioning is to look for faults in others and minimize
our own faults. If you want to see positive change in your business quit looking for a
better person and become a better business leader. If changing your business practices
seems overwhelming then start with small steps. Making small steps of improvement in
yourself over time creates a big difference in achieving your overall objectives.
Improvement is achieved in inches, not giant leaps.
2) Change Your Attitude – If you try to change those things outside of your control, you
start to lose control of those things within you that can change because your focus is
wrong. Changing your attitude, that is completely within your control. The best part of
change is that this one act can be a major factor in changing your business for the
positive. In controlling your attitude and choosing to think positively, you can minimize
the negative effects of those around you who have bad attitudes. Changing your
attitude allows you to see opportunities where once you saw obstacles.
3) Change Your Non-Growing Business Partners - In life it is important to love people and
value your business relationships. However you must accept that some of your business
partners may not share the same journey you are choosing. You have to be aware of
these negative influences and surround yourself with people who share your vision and
are a positive influence on achieving your business goals. We have all heard the
expression “Birds of a feather, flock together”, your business associates will either
stretch your vision or choke your dreams.
4) Determine To Live Differently Than Average People – “Who am I?” But more
importantly “Who am I becoming?” To answer this question you must keep one eye on
where you are and one eye on where you will be. Most people have an eye on where
they have been and one eye on where they are now. To know who you are becoming
requires you to not only know where you are now but also to know where you are now
and the changes needed to achieve your business goals.
5) Unlearn What You Know To Learn What You Don’t Know – Satchel Paige once said “It’s
not what you don’t know that hurts you – it’s what you do know that just ain’t so.”
Unlearning is a prerequisite for growth in business. To unlearn follow these five steps:
a) Admit that an old practice, belief or attitude is not solving the current problems
facing your business and that doing more of it will not lead to desired outcomes.
b) Open your mind – yield to the view that there are alternatives to the way you have
always done it until now.

3. c) Switch from trying to rationalize the use of your long favored solutions to asking
questions about how you can change, learn and grow your business.
d) Commit to terminating unsuccessful business practices used in the past.
e) Practice and perfect new best business practices to achieve your business goals.
Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new
business practices and move your business forward.
What did I learn today? What spoke both to your heart and your head?
How did I grow today? What touched my heart and affected my actions?
What will I do differently? Unless you can state specifically what you plan to do differently, you
will not have learned anything.
“One of the things that is not acceptable is to compare myself to others when contemplating
change. My desire is not to become superior to anybody else. I only want to be superior to my
former self. Intention and contemplation assist me in doing that. Improvement is within reach
of anyone, no matter how experienced or green, educated or ignorant, rich or poor”.
Dream Big. If you could envision your dream position with Pro Source what would your job
description look like?
Be responsive and open to new ideas and a new way of doing business, willingness to learn.
Do not take any comments personal when discussing sensitive issues while developing your
business plan.
Andrew Wichert
January 4, 2013