Your Attitude Determines Your Success

Daily Blog #268

When I think about what makes an individual successful, I think about not only the results, but more importantly, about the passion that the individual has for what it is that they are doing, and the passion they have for the life that they are living. The thing is, without the passion and the drive to be the best that we can be, the results are never going to come. That is why your attitude determines your success.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

In August of this last year, I purchased my second car in eight months. I just wasn’t really feeling the first one, so I decided that life was too short to wait for the things that we want, and decided to get a new one.

During the car buying process, there were two cars that caught my eye. They were the same make, model, year, and color. The only difference between the two, is that one had roughly 20,000 more miles than the other. A 20,000 mile difference that was only separated in cost by a difference of $200.

Naturally, I wanted the car with less miles as I felt it was a better value. So I contacted the dealership, and scheduled a test drive. I arrived at the dealership with my dad, waited outside to be greeted by a sales associate, and after a few minutes of waiting, I finally decided to go in and introduce myself to one.

After talking with one of the sales associates, they finally brought the car around for a test drive. As I walked up to the car, I could see that there was dirt all over it, bird residue on the windows, and crumbs on the drivers seat. Let’s just say that this was not a good first impression on someone who was about to spend thousands of dollars on something.

At that point, I already knew that I was not going to buy that car, but I still took it for a drive anyways. The entire time I was driving the car, the sales associate kept asking me what I thought about the car, but when I would ask questions, he knew nothing about it. It was almost as if he didn’t care about what he was doing, and just expected me to buy the car. Sure, I may be young, but I’m not dumb.

Well, after about five minutes, I told him I was no longer interested, and headed off to the next dealership. When I arrived at the second dealership, I was immediately greeted by a sales associate who asked if I would like to drive any cars. I told him the one that I was looking for, and he immediately ran inside to grab the keys. But while he was inside, the car suddenly started. He was showing off the electric starter that came with the car.

While we were on the test drive, he went over all of the features that came with the car, went over all of the added benefits between the car and my previous one, and then asked me if I had any questions for him. It didn’t matter how difficult of a question I asked, he knew the answer, and went above and beyond to get me to like the car. Unlike the first dealer, this guy knew everything about the car almost as if he is the one who built it.

We got back to the dealership, the gentleman asked if I had any more questions, or if I wanted to test drive a different car. I responded by simply asking where he wanted me to sign so that I could take the car home.

It didn’t really matter to me that this car had 20,000 more miles and was only $200 less than the first car. This dealer had gone above and beyond to make my car buying experience incredible, which is why I bought the car from him. Since buying the car, not only has he called me to check up on how I was liking the car, but he has also scheduled free maintenance appointments for me. That is someone with a good attitude, and someone who loves what they do.

The point of the story is that if you want to be successful, then you need to have a positive attitude. People are attracted to positive attitudes, so if you want people to be around you, if you want people to buy something from you, or if you even want people to simply talk to you, then you should have a positive attitude. That, and life is just more fun when you are positive.

We all get caught up in our own emotions from time to time, but that isn’t an excuse to treat others poorly. When you are in a bad mood, always remember to treat others the way that you want to be treated. Show others the respect that you want to be given. And bring happiness to the lives of others the same way that you want happiness to be brought to your life.

So be positive, be grateful, and be happy. Remember, your attitude determines your success. So if you want to be successful, you best have a good attitude.

Michael Bonnell

1/23/2019

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