Positive or Right Attitude…

All of us know the famous example of “Glass half-empty or Glass half-full!!!” This is a classic example of positive thinking. One must always look towards the positive side of situation and ignore the negative side. We have to cherish what we have rather than blaming our fate for the things that we don’t have. This is the reason why the wise men say “count your blessings”. Instead, we have a habit of thinking of what we do not have. We compare with others who seem to be more “successful” than us and loose the balance in life.  As they say “grass is always greener on the other side.” Most of the times the comparisons are based on individual’s Economic Conditions, money being the most wanted commodity in today’s World. So if we count our blessings, we generate a positive attitude in us. Positive Attitude thus, protects us from this vicious trap leading to frustration & stresses that finally ruin our lives.

Positive attitude at its extreme end may make you complacent, lazy, or contented in life with what you have. ‘I feel okay with whatever I have achieved till date’ attitude will stop your growth. “Still water gathers the moss” and becomes undrinkable in no time. So having only positive attitude is not sufficient.

Thus the Glass being full or half, is just a half story and looking at “the Glass- half full” is not enough. One must go beyond. This Positive Attitude is passé and we need to change it to suit to the current times….

Look at another age-old story of “the Hare and the Tortoise”. Hare lost even being fast, because he was not persistent. Modern time story tells us that we need to be both, as fast as the Hare and as persistent as the Tortoise, to stand in the competition. So in current times, just having positive attitude is not enough, so what do you need in place of positive attitude?

The new buzzword to be successful is to have Right Attitude; the attitude that sets you on the right path of success and happiness in life. You can apply the SWOT/ SWOC analysis to create the Right Attitude in you. SWOT(C) stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (Challenge).  The first part is to look towards your Strengths and Weaknesses. What you are good at and what you need to improve in whatever situation you are in. You can apply this while seeking a job, improving your relationship or any other competitive situation. The Strengths and Weaknesses are your own and you need to work on them to improve. The Opportunities and Threats (or Challenges) are external to you and you may not have control over it. You need to understand the situation/ environment and adapt to it to get maximum out of it. Thus Positive Attitude will give you what your strengths are. While Right Attitude will force you to consider Strengths, Weakness in you and Opportunity & Threats that exist around you and how you make the most of it, to succeed in life.

The Right attitude will put you in the Right perspective about what you have (Strengths), what you lack (Weaknesses), what are favorable conditions around you, and what are the obstacles around you. Once you know all these four aspects, you can easily improve them to achieve success. One cannot win without knowing your limitations and working a way around it.

Think well in advance and start planning for the goal at the earliest.  This will give you the head-start in the battles ahead. “You cannot fight the battle by preparing on the same Day.” So start early and have sufficient time for the battle. Apply SWOT Analysis and create a Right Attitude to win that battle…

What makes you successful and an achiever….

“I am just a mechanical draughtsman and not an Engineer!!” these words of Mike left me astonished. 17 years ago, we were entering a new domain in Design. Our MNC client had asked me to meet Mike for planning my Engineers’ training. Mike should have been in his early thirties then, and everyone respected him for his Design Skills. He helped me build a strong team of Design Engineers, working on International Design Standards!

But what still amazes me is the fact that Mike is just a mechanical tradesman and still acquired Design skills in early stage of career. This clearly indicates the fact that our Educational System does not produce Engineers that Western world can produce out of a mechanical draftsman! Can we just blame the Indian Educational System?

I know another Indian Mike, who has achieved similar heights in his career being just an ITI holder! He joined us in the early stage of his career around 15 years back. Today he owns a well established organization. Both these Mike(s) have some common characteristics in them, even though they are from two different cultures & countries. They put 100% in their work, and they are eager to learn! So the answer does not lie in the System! It lies in one’s attitude!!

 Yes! Attitude!! Right Attitude is the most correct word. But then, what constitutes a Right Attitude? Is there a formula that specifies a right attitude? Is it what you are born with? Can one develop the Right Attitude? Is it very difficult and time taking? Does one have to leave enjoying life and lead an abstained life?

My experiences teach me that “You Are What You Think”. So The Right Attitude is an outcome of one’s own thinking and understanding. People like Mike prove to us that the way to success starts from us. As they say “look within and the answer is right there!” So let us start from ourselves. This means, we start from our own mind which has an amazing ability of understanding and thinking. I would say that we should understand the surrounding well and then start thinking right. Thus understanding sets our thinking in right direction. And right thinking creates right attitude for our decisions, choices and actions. Actions based on such thinking come out from Right Attitude, which do not demand abstained life. In fact you enjoy whatever you do!! Thus you become successful and an achiever.

Let us take the example of today’s youth. To get the right opportunity, you need to have the minimum required scores. You have to study hard to achieve that. But being a good engineer does not necessarily mean being a topper. The right expectation will be acknowledging one’s flaws & working a way around it. The first step to become an achiever is becoming a deserved engineer first.

The second step is to choose a field of your interest.  For this, you have to ask several questions to yourself and then try to understand your interests. Then find out whether they are in sync with current employment market or not. If they are not, then you must find a way to tune them with the current market requirements. You also need to understand what the employment market has to offer and what are the pros and cons of each type of job. So understand the types of jobs that are available to you, and find a right fit to your liking. This is very important because if your job does not interest you, then you will not be putting in your 100% efforts. Any half hearted effort will not yield good result. So your plan is to understand first and then chose the field that suits your interests. This is what helped Mike become the person he is today. He did not rush towards so called lucrative jobs, but he chose field of his own interest, and he excelled in it. Most of the Fresh graduates look for a well paid job and totally ignore what their interests are! Choose a field of your interest which will build a good and lasting career for you! It will also give you work satisfaction. Money or your field of interest is a choice you have to make in early days of your career so; Choose Wisely!

After choosing the field of interest next step is to start planning for that type of a job. How you can stand out in the competitive employment market, is a very crucial point. At the end, it all comes down to making the right choices, identifying & seizing the opportunity with both hands, when it presents itself. But the key to become a successful person & an achiever is to have that X-factor. And building your CV in accordance with your field of interest plays a crucial part in it. After graduation everyone will be at par and scores within a range will not matter much for getting the job. The right actions taken to build your CV in sync with your field of interest, will give you that X-Factor. If you show that you have the required amount of knowledge in your field of interest, the employer will tend to choose you over others. And there are various ways to acquire that in the field of interest. Read more about that field, read magazines dedicated to that field, Write Technical Papers on a subject from that field, choose seminar topics from that field, select a project from that field, & find internships in that field and so on. Thus trying to get more knowledge, information and experience related to your field will help you build a strong CV for you. Such a strong CV will help you in getting a job in that field.

Thus right understanding helps you to think right. Thinking in right direction creates Right Attitude in you. This helps you to make right choices, actions to build a strong CV for you. Right Attitude also helps in keeping right expectations. Thus Right Attitude avoids any depression, frustration, and further stresses. Thus all your energies are focused in achieving what interests you in your life. I would say that “instead of showing attitude, it is very important to have a Right Attitude”. This is what I learnt from Mike!! That is how one can be successful and an achiever…

More about Right Attitude in next blog….