How to Have a Positive Attitude

Positive Attitude Tips

Today I had one of my best investment sales day ever. I found over a dozen strong leads and possibly landed a couple of new investors for the fund that I am promoting. Why did this happen? Earlier this week my boss had been traveling and my I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I completely changed my attitude and now the opportunities in front of me at work are almost overwhelming.

I have studied in my Psychology of Influence class at Harvard that negative thoughts can block creative or even mundane solutions to challenges we face every day. I have also discovered that the unconscious part of our brain grinds away on problems that we are facing and know we have to conquer. Scientific studies have shown that successful professional athletes use more positive self-talk than non-professional athletes. In one of Jeffrey Gitomer's books he talks about seeking mentors early on in his sales career. One employee at his company had only started working in the industry 1 year ago and was the company's #2 salesman out of a group of over 200 people. Gitomer asked him how he did and he said that one thing he did differently from everyone else was tell himself over 100 times a day "I am the best. I am the best. I am the best..." I don't believe that simply saying these words will make you the top salesman at your company but I do believe that having that strong of a positive attitude improves all of your relationships, your positive self-talk, and ability to come up with creative win-win solutions on the fly.

Here is how I try to have a positive attitude:

I have several 3-4 minute motivational podcasts or audio book clips on my ipod that I can listen to on the way to work
I Workout at least 3 times a week
I read 15 pages of attitude changing articles or books every morning while I am eating breakfast. (see Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Yellow Book of YES!Attitude)
I have created a 1 page lamented page of the top 50 business and sales lessons I have learned and I have posted it in my shower, on my bathroom mirror, and behind my desk at work. I do my best to read this list twice a day to remind myself of what is important.
I set BHAGS for myself. BHAGS are Big Hairy Audacious Goals as described by Jim Collins in Good to Great. My current BHAGS? I want to become THE expert in investment marketing and sales, run 50 investment websites that rank in the top 3 slots of Google search results, and become a best selling author.
I try to find a lesson to be learned from each "negative experience." If nothing else a negative experience should always tell you something about yourself.
I am always learning and exploring something new. It was getting into Harvard and moving to Boston, now it is learning all I can about investment marketing and sales, the psychology of influence, and web marketing. As soon as you stop being curious and challenged you become stale and un-motivated.
I cut off or drastically reduce communication with negative people.
I don't watch the local news. It is worthless. How often do you see a news story about a generous church donation, a child winning a science project award, or a organ donor saving someone's life? Not nearly as often as a plane crash, fire, or robbery. If you have to get the local news read it online for 5 minutes and save yourself some time.

I am taking a four month course on Positive Psychology this spring that should be very interesting. I will be updating this blog with those details as soon as I can. Let me know if you have any other great tips on keeping positive attitude or using self-talk.

- Richard

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