Some say simply believing you are successful will make you successful. Sounds crazy, right? But that's the premise of the law of attraction. Same with the recent phenomena, The Secret. For the more scientific minded, we can reference the placebo affect. Patients told they are being given a curing medicine actually get better despite the fact what they are given is only a sugar pill. Bottom line, the brain is the most powerful organ in the body. And how we harness that power has a bearing on the image we project, and ultimately on our success.
Skip the Yips
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A man becomes what he thinks about." To project success you need to first quiet the negative voice inside your own head. These self-limiting beliefs can be our biggest enemy when it comes to being successful. Former professional golfer Tommy Armour coined the term “yips" to describe when athletes are so caught up in their own heads they, inexplicably, can no longer perform routine parts of their game. A relatively simple putt, for instance, or an All-Star pitcher who suddenly cannot get the ball over home plate. Although science is still studying possible neurological causes for to the “yips," it is widely believed the main cause is psychological. To project an attitude of success, stay clear of the negative and focus on the positive.
Be Half Full
Studies have shown a casual link between optimistic attitudes and good health. Being optimistic can do more than extend our lives however; it can also improve our success rate in business. Sales guru Zig Ziglar says attitude is a defining factor in a person's ability to succeed. He quotes a Harvard University study found when it comes to job offers and promotions, decisions are based only 15 percent on the candidates actual technical knowledge or skill. Eighty-five percent of the decision to hire or promote an employee is based on the individual's attitude. View your glass as half full and you've won more than half the battle.
Be a Copycat
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Decide what success looks like to you, and learn to imitate it. Everyone's version will be different. If, to you, success means moving up the corporate ladder, then know what it looks like on the top rung. If success means simply getting through each crazy day in an organized and stress-free fashion, then envision that day. Keep the image of success in your head and do everything possible to look like it, behave like it, and most importantly believe that you can accomplish it.
When it comes to projecting an attitude for success, children's character Bob the Builder may be the best role model. “Can we do it?" he asks his audience each day. Without questioning the details, doubting their abilities or hesitating for one moment, his audience's answer is always the same. “Yes we can!" You go, Bob.
[Reprinted from OfficeArrow]
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
Kathy Ver Eecke, founder of Working for Wonka, is a former marketing executive who now works as a writer and speaker on the topic of surviving the start-up environment and working for an entrepreneur.
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