Whether you are selling a product or service or want to sell people on your ideas or want to get people to follow your lead, being enthusiastic will help you be more successful. Enthusiasm is an outer expression of your inner passion. When a sales manager overheard a sales person say they were enthusiastic about their product, the sales manager said, “Why don’t you let your face know it.”

Enthusiasm is a zest for or an extreme interest in a subject, cause, or life itself. It is more than excitement or inspiration although excitement and inspiration are usually a part of a person’s enthusiasm. Enthusiasm usually starts by being curious about something. When you are curious about something you naturally take an interest in it. Then you gain knowledge about it. And, finally, when you develop belief in what you became curious about, your enthusiasm will blossom.

They may break into words at any time. Earl Nightingale, in his classic “Strangest Secret,” said, “We become what we think about.”

W. Clement Stone, in “Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude,” said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.”

I worked with Paul J. Meyer for 28 years and have repeated his famous saying hundreds of times. He said, “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.”

Paul Meyer also said, “You are where you are and what you are because of the dominating thoughts that occupy your mind.”

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones influenced me early in my career when I heard him say, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Zig Ziglar offers a corollary to “second-hand smoke” when he talks about SNIOP, i.e. Susceptible to the Negative Influence of Other People. These “other people” could include family, friends, business associates, strangers, and 24/7 negative news. This “second-hand negativity” is even more dangerous than second-hand smoke.

In addition to SNIOP, I offer a shorter and even more dangerous version – SNIO: Susceptible to the Negative Influence of Ourselves.

The above quote, and the title of this Coaching Tip, is attributed to Emile Coué a French psychotherapist (1857 – 1926). Mr. Coué developed a method of autosuggestion which relied on the principle that any idea exclusively occupying the mind turns into reality, although only to the extent that the idea is within the realm of possibility.

W. Clement Stone (1902 – 2002) used the Coué methodology to build a very successful company. Mr. Stone was founder of the Combined Insurance Company, was one of the great philanthropists of the 20^th century, and co-author of “Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude” and “The Success System That Never Fails.” He started the Combined Insurance Company with $100 borrowed from his grandmother and turned it into a billion dollar enterprise by 1979. It is reported that he had his sales force recite aloud the following affirmations, among others, at the beginning of each day:

“I feel happy; I feel healthy; I feel terrific!”

“Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.”

Since the subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between fact and fantasy and since our thoughts determine our actions, is it any wonder that his sales force was successful in building a huge business? Is it any wonder that Mr. Stone lived to be 100 after reciting the above statements thousands of times in his life?

Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, would tell people, “You are either green and growing or ripe and rotting.”

Both of these successful entrepreneurs knew that continuous improvement was the key to personal and business success. There is no improvement without change. For performance and results to improve, people have to improve. It is common for people to want results to improve without having to change or improve themselves. Doing the same things and expecting different results is futile.

In 1972 I heard Charlie “Tremendous” Jones say, “We will be no better five years from now than we are today except for the books we read, the positive messages we listen to, and the people we associate with. What books are you reading; what personal or professional development messages are you listening to; what seminars or workshops are you attending; in what ways are you getting better every day?

If you were to get .003 better every day, you wouldn’t notice, nor would anyone who knows you. And, if you did that every day, at the end of the year you would be twice as good as you are now – with compounding, almost three times better. You, and everyone else, will notice.

1. Look at all the things you do on a regular basis and pick one you’d like to improve.
2. Determine an action you can take to improve it and take that action.
3. Repeat this process every day with the same area as long as needed to make it a habit;  then pick a new area to work on.
4. Say, “Thank you” when people start noticing your improvement (be patient).

By devoting 10 minutes every day to continuous improvement, you will enjoy over 60 hours of improvement in a year. If you choose to only improve on week days, you will still enjoy over 40 hours of personal improvement. I’m confident you won’t miss what you displace in those minutes.

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One thing that high achievers have in common is a high-energy level. They are able to persist until they reach their desired objective. They can overcome obstacles, hindering circumstances, setbacks, defeats, and other people’s negativity. Famous football coach Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue will make cowards of us all.” The converse would be, “Energy begets energy.”

One of the most important benefits of a high energy level is a positive mental attitude. Your attitude affects everything you do and that’s good, because your attitude is one of the few things you have complete control over. What happens to you isn’t nearly as important as your reaction to what happens to you. Likewise, your circumstances aren’t nearly as important as your reaction to your circumstances. Your attitude today determines your success tomorrow. Your attitude is the primary force that determines whether you succeed or fail.

W. Clement Stone, in his book Success through a Positive Mental Attitude, wrote “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” The most valuable asset you have is a positive mental attitude.

Some things you can do to maintain a high-energy level include:

1. Get the appropriate amount of sleep.
2. Eat healthy; make sure you get a good balance of nutrients.
3. Maintain a regular exercise program.
4. Enjoy a hobby and/or other recreational pursuits.
5. Do stretching and deep breathing exercises to keep a good flow of oxygen in your muscles.
6. Set aside personal time with family and close friends.
7. Help someone who is less fortunate than you.
8. Reflect on your past accomplishments and victories.
9. Maintain a regular program of reading or listening to positive books and CDs.

At any given time we all have a certain amount of energy available to us. How well we direct that energy will determine how productive we are. You can choose to direct your available energy in a positive, productive direction or diffuse it in a variety of directions, some of which could be counter productive. The same amount of energy is there; it’s how we choose to direct it that determines our results. How you use your energy can and needs to be a conscious choice.

Choose to have a positive attitude by focusing on what you can accomplish, not what you can’t. Choose to have an attitude that generates energy in yourself and others, not one that drains energy from yourself and others. Follow the nine tips above and anything else that will help you maintain a high energy level.

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Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) = Success, and Negative Mental Attitude (NMA) = Failure. Just as we gain weight when we consume more calories than we burn, our attitude can move from positive to negative as we are exposed to negatives in our environment. Fortunately, our attitude is one of the few things we have 100% control over. Other people and circumstances can only “mess with” our attitude if we let them.

The 7 Day PMA Diet is designed to help you stay in control of your PMA. Follow the 4 steps for 7 days and, if you like the results, repeat them for as many 7 day increments as you need to develop PMA.

Step One:    Think only positive thoughts. When a negative thoughts creep in, and they will, push them out with a positive thought.

Step Two:     Associate only with positive people. When confronted with negative people you can either change them or leave. If you can’t leave physically, leave mentally so you won’t buy into their negativity.

Step Three:    Do something each day, no pay involved (random acts of kindness). No pay involved includes not telling anyone that you did it.

Step Four:     Use your “Focus Card” daily. You can create your own “Focus Card” by using a standard 3 x 5 card. On one side, write one short-term, 7 day goal in each of the six areas of your life, e.g. family, financial, mental physical, social, and spiritual. These are goals you might not have done otherwise and they are something you can accomplish in seven days.

On the top half of the other side, list several things you are thankful for and on the bottom half list some of your accomplishments.

Then, fold the card in half several times and carry it in your pocket or somewhere else where you’ll have easy access to it. When you feel your PMA being challenged, touching the card will be a reminder of what you wrote and will help you focus on what you want to accomplish (7 day goals), what you are thankful for, and what you have accomplished in the past. At least once a day, read the entire card. Good luck.

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In any endeavor, our success is dependent on many factors. One factor that might be overlooked is having an abundance mentality. An “abundance mentality” is more than having a positive mental attitude, although a positive mental attitude is very important. When you have a positive mental attitude, you look at how things can be done rather than why they can’t be done. You believe that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” You look at possibilities and opportunities rather than obstacles and problems. This mindset is important for success in any endeavor.

An abundance mentality will take you beyond a positive mental attitude. It will eliminate small thinking and offset negative energy. It can mean the difference between success and failure, excellence and mediocrity, and prosperity and despair. People with an abundance mentality believe the following:

•  “The more I sell, the more there is to sell.”
•  “The more I give, the more there is to give.”
•  “The more I know, the more there is to know.”
•  “People are great. They will help me reach my goals.”
•  “If I need money, I’ll find the money.”
•  “If I need people, I’ll find the people.”
•  “If I need ideas, the ideas will come.”

People with an abundance mentality believe there are enough resources available to accomplish their goals. They also believe that their success doesn’t mean failure for others. On the contrary, the more successful they are, the more others are affected in a positive way. They can be happy when friends and associates prosper. They can enter every business transaction with a “win/win” attitude. They win when their clients win.

Here are some things that you can do to boost and enhance an abundance mentality:

• Make a commitment to continuous growth. Set up a reading, listening, watching and learning schedule. Participate in seminars and corporate development programs.
• Help others grow. A wise philosopher once said, “When you help another person get to the top of a mountain, you will arrive there also.” Teach the people on your team what you know. If you have a talent for coaching or teaching children, volunteer. Seeing people grow as a result of your efforts will enhance your abundance mentality.
• Have a written, specific goals program. Review your goals daily, and update your action steps and accomplishments.
• Utilize the synergy of a support group. Join one or more organizations that have
  members who share your interest in personal and professional development and who support you in the process.

Abundance starts in your mind. The more you think abundantly, the more abundance you can enjoy. The more abundance you enjoy, the more success you will enjoy.

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