You Can Win: A Step-by-Step Tool for Top Achievers

by Shiv Khera

Ability teaches us how we do, motivation determines why we do, and attitude decides how well we do. There was a man who made his living selling balloons at a fair. He had balloons of many different colors, including red, yellow, blue and green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air. When the children saw the balloon go up, they all wanted one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon and his sales would go up. All day, he continued to release a balloon whenever sales were slow. One day, the balloon man felt someone tugging at his jacket. He turned around and a little boy asked, “If you release a black balloon, will that also fly?” Moved by the boy’s concern, the man replied gently, “Son, it is not the color of the balloon, it is what’s inside that makes it go up.” THE same principle applies to our lives: It’s what’s inside that counts and what’s inside of us that makes us go up is our attitude.

An opportunity only knocks once. The next one may be better or worse, but never the same one. That is why it is so crucial to make the right decision at the right time. A right decision at the wrong time becomes a wrong decision.

Attitude is the foundation to success. The greater the success, the stronger the foundation.

Events and experiences in life determine our attitude. If we have a positive experience with a person, our attitude towards him is likely to be positive and conversely negative experiences tend to make us cautious. Experiences and events become reference points in our lives and we draw conclusions which serve as guidelines for the future.

People with positive attitudes have certain personality traits that are easy to recognise. They are caring, confident, patient and humble. They have high expectations of themselves and others. They expect positive outcomes.

Dreams are a dime a dozen… it’s their execution that counts. —Theodore Roosevelt

The winner has a solution for every problem; the loser has a problem for every solution.

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. – Norman Vincent Peale

There was a hunter who bought an amazing bird dog. This one-of-a-kind dog could walk on water. The hunter was looking forward to showing off his new acquisition to his friends. He invited a friend to go duck hunting. After some time, they shot a few ducks and the man ordered his dog to fetch the birds. All day long, the dog ran on water to retrieve the birds. The owner was expecting his friend to comment or compliment him about this amazing dog, but never got one. As they were returning home, he asked his friend if he had noticed anything unusual about his dog. The friend replied, “Yes, in fact, I did notice something unusual. Your dog cannot swim.

Some people always look at the negative side. Who is a pessimist? Pessimists: • are moaners, groaners and permanent complainers • are unhappy when they have no troubles to speak of • feel bad when they feel good, for fear they will feel worse when they feel better • always turn out the lights to see how dark it is • cannot enjoy their health today because they think they may be sick tomorrow • not only expect the worst but make the worst of whatever happens • don’t see the doughnut, they only see the hole • forget their blessings and count their troubles • know that hard work never hurts anyone but believe “why take a chance?

Looking for the positive does not necessarily mean overlooking faults. being a positive thinker does not mean one has to agree or accept everything. It only means that a person is solution-focused.

“Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel that you appreciate their good qualities and strengths. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticise others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

Learning is a lot like eating. It is not how much we eat that matters, but what really matters is how much we digest.