In some ways my father and I are a lot alike. For instance, in high school our respective classes both elected us “class wit.”
But in other ways we couldn’t be more different.
So I wasn’t surprised by what happened a few years back when my Dad and I drove to the airport to pick up my brother.
It was mid-August, 102 degrees and humid as heck.
“Knowing” there would never be a parking spot close to the terminal, my father wanted to head directly to the back lot where spaces were plentiful.
I preferred to start with the row closest to the terminal and work our way back.
After much prodding, my father agreed to try the lot nearer to the terminal. But only as far as the last row.
If we didn’t find something there, he informed me, we’d proceed directly to the back lot.
Not only did we find a spot, but on our way into the terminal we walked past a primo parking in the very first row.
My Dad’s response was, “It probably wouldn’t have been there when we were looking.”
In other words, I prefer to think things will work out. My father presumes they will not.
I was reminded of a quote often misappropriated to Henry Ford that says…
If You Think You Can, Or You Think You Can’t, You’re Right
I understand that pessimism is just a defense mechanism to shield you from disappointment.
But I also know that this self-limiting notion that, “Things won’t work out anyway… so why bother?” keeps a whole lot of people stuck from ever living their dream.
If you find yourself automatically driving to the back lot of life, maybe it’s time to do an attitude check…
Take the Quiz
- Do you see yourself as deserving of happiness?
- Do you think things will probably work out for the best?
- If things don’t work out do you see it as an opportunity to either try again or to find a different approach?
- Do you see yourself as the director of your life or as having no control over the outcome?
- When a traffic light turns red do you think, “Just my luck!”? If yes, do you feel the same way when you catch a green light?
If you have a positive attitude then you have a great foundation from which to launch your dream of working at what you love.
If however, you tend to assume the worse –– then changing course is going to be more challenging – but still entirely possible.
In fact, my friend and career change guru Barbara Sher insists you don’t need to think positive to achieve your dreams.
On the occasion of her best-selling book Wishcraft turning 30 Barbara wrote…
Everyone has “…everything they need inside them to create the life they want, and to see that the reason they haven’t achieved their dreams so far is because humans can’t sustain positive thinking, they need structure, accountability and support.
Isolation and a lack of structure can create disorientation and fear.
That’s why I repeat, over and over, ‘Isolation is the dream killer, not your lousy attitude.”
So you see, how you answered the quiz is not important.
What really matters is do you want to create the life you want? And if so…
Are You Finally Ready To Either
A) Find Your Calling or
B) Take Massive Action On An Existing Idea Or Business?
The thing is you can keep trying to figure everything out alone.
Getting overwhelmed… or becoming discouraged when the ideas or the money doesn’t follow as quickly as you’d like… then procrastinating, and finally giving up.
No one wants that.
That’s why I created an affordable and highly effective way you can get the ongoing support you need to create the life you really want.
Click here now to read about seven people who – regardless of their attitude — made more progress on their dreams in six months than most people do in six years!
