A great lyric from the band Sister Hazel but also some words to live by. That is what the essence of Combination #2: Attitude. In Ed Gerety’s book Combinations he talks about Attitude as the second combination, specifically a positive attitude. Attitude, however, is half of the battle because you can be the most positive person in the world but if you take no action then you’re pretty much going around as a smiling idiot (my words).
How can you change your mind?
Sometimes life knocks you right on your ass. You can sit there and wallow in the woe is me of it all or you can get back up. How many stories have we heard about people who have had limbs amputated only to work harder then they have in their entire lives to make a comeback in the sport that they love? Don’t you love stories like that? Those people have a positive attitude but they also work harder than everyone else to accomplish their goals. Without the positive attitude they would get nowhere and vice versa.
Surround yourself with Positive People
Ed tells a tale about three frogs in a milk bucket. This is one of my favorite stories that he tells because you don’t see the moral coming. I get chills when I read it and that tell me I just read something special. I won’t ruin it for you because you should read Combinations for yourself. The point however is that if you do not surround yourself with positive people who not only encourage you but challenge you, you will end up failing.
Does Attitude mean anything in blogging?
I read many blogs every day and I sometimes read some really negative things. It is frustrating reading those things not only because they are negative but because the people writing them tend to attract more readers. People love controversy and wallowing and commiserating. Misery really does love company. How many videos on YouTube are filled with hateful messages? Why, what point does that serve?
We would certainly serve our readers better if we inspired them with our positive attitude rather than commiserate and complain and whine. This keeps them in the funks they may be in and is really unappealing as well. If you want to get in a better mood start reading Ed Gerety’s blog. Watch his videos, read his posts, he has a great attitude and it shows.
“Be deaf to those people who say you cannot achieve the positive things you want. Keep your ears open to those who beleive in you. – Ed Gerety”
There are a few bloggers that I know who are constantly raising the bar on what having a positive attitude is all about. They also go out there and give it all they can and they Crush It! One of those bloggers is Ted Murphy.
Ted Murphy is the CEO of IZEA and he also blogs at Ted.me. Whenever you see Ted he is filled with such positive energy that he many times wins over his detractors. Ted also takes action and comes up with a plan, carries it out and gathers people to help him. Did you know that he is going to run his 1st marathon soon? He’s not just running with his positive attitude, he’s done much hard work to get to that point. He tweets his progress, videos his runs and challenges others to be better as well.
I’ve met Ted and I’ve spent time talking with him and exchanging ideas. We’ve even shoved our faces in cake together. A bond forms there thicker than icing. He’s one of those positive people who also challenges me.
Blog your Passion
I think that bloggers must be passionate and write about what they love. If you are passionate about something your attitude towards that will come out naturally and there will be people who will want to hear what you have to say. Look at Gary Vaynerchuk and his attitude. He is passionate about wine and yet he not only talks about wine he talks about success and what it takes to succeed. His positive attitude and passion is so prevalent in what he does.
“Real Success it defined by the person you become and what you experience along the way. – Ed Gerety”
Think about that for a moment. What do you experience along the way? Sometimes it is pain and heartbreak, setbacks and wrong turns. However, if you keep your attitude positive and you continue to take steps to achieve those positive things in your life, you surround yourself with people who not only motivate and encourage but can be challenging then you will get there and become more successful. You should also remember to have an attitude of gratitude and be there present in each moment. Success is not easy, it takes hard work perseverance and a positive attitude. True success is all of that and more because True Success, well, it can only be defined by you and you attitude.
Take a look also at the photo at the top of this post. I found it when looking up the word “success” on picapp. Yes, climbing a mountain and getting to the top is a success, I think it would be much more indicative of a success however if there were more people on top showing that they strove to push each other and motivate each other with a positive attitude to reach that pinnacle of success.