“The only disability in life is a bad attitude #truu”
My nephew posted that on his Facebook wall today. It’s a popular way to think. And the first response from one of his friends was, “Varner used to tell us that the only thing life you have a 100% control over is your attitude.” It’s a wonderful soundbite, perfect for our memetic culture, but it’s not accurate. So this post is for my nephew.
I’m certainly not going to debate the value of a positive attitude. That would be silly. I believe in the power of positive thinking. Besides, you can’t throw a rock into the internet pond without hitting a post about how important a positive attitude is. 8,460,000 Google search results can’t be wrong.
My response to him on Facebook was this, “You also have control over your effort. The greatest attitude in the world will do nothing for you if you don’t put forth the effort required to make things happen.” In a culture of doing, a positive attitude is a very powerful thing.
In a culture of entitlement, a positive attitude means nothing. Unfortunately, what I see evident in too many young people today is a positive attitude of entitlement. They expect success will come to them with little effort, and they are very, very positive about it. I say, good luck with that.
The key to success in life is not a positive attitude. The key to success in life is working your butt off, going the extra mile, and contributing more to solving problems than those around you, all while maintaining a positive attitude.
So in keeping with the inspirational quote theme, here are a few soundbites that place the emphasis on action:
“Success is dependent on effort.” – Sophocles
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” – Calvin Coolidge
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be prosperous. Though the land be good, You cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation.” – Plato
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” – Vince Lombardi
“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” – Napolean Hill
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Creative Commons Photo via Flickr – by QISUR
Guess you can say “the only disability in life is lack of action coupled with a bad attitude.” Now that fits on a bumper sticker! Good thoughts here as always.
As the mother of two sons, 24 and 17 I can tell you that I’ve watched this generation battle with entitlement. My boys always felt we were too hard on them because they weren’t just given everything while their friend’s parents bent over backwards to do everything for them. I’m not the perfect parent, and I do believe in a positive attitude, but life rewards action. (Why are there no decent women quotes?? Best one is Margaret Thatcher: “I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near.”
Continuing the theme …two more relevant quotes (I often remind myself of Coolidge’s)
Calvin Coolidge:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge
And from Winston Churchill
“Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.”
http://www.neverevergiveup.com/
Ira
Jeff Turner, AMEN, AMEN and AMEN. Excellent and true. I will share. love it
Yes, I am so in agreement with you about effort being a necessary part of the equation. Here is where I see a challenge around positive thinking or as I call it – a success mindset. Effort does not do the job alone if they are coming from the perspective of “how hard it is” “that could not work” “why bother no one listens” thinking.
The biggest first stage hurdle I have dealt with in coaching entrepreneurs who wants to make it big, is getting their mindset focused on what can be, what is possible, why they deserve…
Then and only then will applied effort produce satisfactory results.
Nothing like a bad attitude pushing hard with effort as an accelerator – moving in the wrong direction.
No question, Michele. I’m all too familiar with the limiting elements of my psyche. I’m in my head a lot, way too much in fact, and it’s often negative thoughts that get in the way of action. Often, simply going ahead and taking the step anyway results in the shift in attitude. This morning was a perfect example for me. I had to run 7 miles as part of my Marathon training plan. I had a horrid night of sleep on the couch, since two of my sick kids were in the bedroom with my wife. I woke up tired, grouchy and with a back ache. My attitude, quite literally sucked. But I ran anyway. During the run, after taking action to put forth the effort, my attitude improved. I’m sure there are anecdotes on the other side of that equation as well, but the action ultimately must occur or attitude is wasted.
Jeff, I also noticed that the attitude improves after you acquire a feeling of “accomplishment”. After you forced yourself to get something done, you feel better about yourself and your progress. This often just fuels me enough to go with the rest of my day and be in a more positive mood.
A lot of personal productivity methodologies, with new apps and checklists rely on visual representation of accomplishments, which, in theory, should help to boost one’s morale toward greater effort.
Great post, as always. Thank you.
The FDR quote inspires me the most. It speaks to *how* I want to apply my effort: joyfully, creatively. For some reason “hard work” can have a negative connotation. Whereas, in fact, nothing feels better than working on something you love.
I just printed this out and slid it under my 21 year old son’s bedroom door. This post couldn’t have been more timely or relevant Jeff. And the comment by Teri talking about the balance between giving our kids too much or being too hard on them resonates. My favorite quotes on this subject are, “In boxing, the only difference between the winner and loser is the one who gets up one more time” and “Humor me, just pretend you’re doing your homework”.
I gave it to my 18 year old as well, Tracey. 🙂
One of the quotes I live by:
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”
Vince Lombardi