Sunday 13 January 2013

Developing a Positive Mental Attitude: Part One


To survive as a full-time author, I believe it’s necessary to develop a positive mental attitude (PMA) to get you through the humps and hurdles that every writer meets in today’s new publishing paradigm. Say what you will, but nothing great has ever been achieved without PMA. One of my personal pacesetters and all-time mentors is Napoleon Hill, who once said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.” Amazing insight from a man born in the rugged mountains of Southwest Virginia in 1883 in a one room cabin!

So how do you develop a PMA to make life pay off on your own terms? The following thirty-nine building blocks were taken from Napoleon Hill’s book, Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement. Read on…

1. Recognize that your mental attitude is the only thing over which you – and only you – have complete control, and exercise that control.
2. Realize that every adversity, sorrow, setback, or defeat, whether or not you caused to happen, contains the seed of an equivalent benefit which you can nurture into a blessing that soars above the disaster that brought it.
3. Clear your mind of any influence which does not support a positive mental attitude.
4. Find out what you want most in life and go after it.
5. Select the person, who in your opinion, is the finest person in all the world, past or present. Make him or her your pacesetter for the rest of your life, emulating him or her in every way possible.
6. Determine what kind of resources you need, and set up a plan for acquiring them based on the idea of not too much, not too little.
7. Form a habit of saying or doing something every day  which will make someone else feel better. (Also known as doing a random act of kindness). Remember, one good deed will keep old man gloom away!
8. Make yourself understand that what whips you isn’t defeat, but your mental attitude toward it. Train yourself to look for the seed of equivalent benefit in every disappointment you face.
9. Ascertain what you like best to do, and do it as a labor of love with your heart and soul. Don’t let boredom or brooding get you down!
10. Understand that often when you have searched in vain for a solution to a problem, you can find it by helping someone else solve his or her problem.
11. Take a complete inventory of every asset you possess. You’ll discover that your greatest asset is a sound mind with which you can shape your destiny.
12. Acknowledge that the space you occupy in this world is in exact ratio to the quantity and quality of the service you render for the benefit of others, plus the mental attitude in which you render it.
13. Break bad habits. Do this one at a time. Show yourself who is boss. If you need help, get it. Don’t let your pride master you!

I’ve broken these building blocks to developing a positive mental attitude into three parts. Please join me next week when we continue our journey to success!

15 comments:

  1. I feel more positive already, Sharon. Great list.

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    1. Good stuff, Amaleen! You've always inspired me! Cheers!

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  2. LOVE this!! Especially #7. We're all in this together and what you say/do is like a ripple on the water. Great post, Sharon.

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    1. That's why were the Retweeting Queens, girl! Cheers and thanks for your support!

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  3. Love this list, Sharon. I like #7 also. I like to say something nice to people that I don't even know. Like once in a restaurant, I told an older lady walking by my table I liked her sweater. At first she seemed distant, thanked me and walked away. Then she came back and struck up a conversation. I then realized she was probably lonely and it lifted her spirits. After that I make it a habit to do that with people I meet in passing. Waitresses, sales clerks, etc. All it takes is a few words and costs nothing.

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    1. You got that right, Rita, plus it makes you feel so good on the inside to shine your light out there! Cheers!

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  4. I echo all the previous comments. I love this list. I have implemented many of them. I have had 2 shoulder surgeries in 2012 (still recovering from the 2nd) and have learned (the hard way) that PMA is everything. This is a solid reminder that I will keep and post in my office as a constant reminder should I stray. I look forward to next weeks list.

    Paul R. Hewlett

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    1. Thanks, Paul! We all need those good thoughts that keep us going. High fives for sharing your story, and cheers for your support!

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  5. Well, my attitude sucks. I needed this bad!! Thanks, Sharon!

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    1. Arley - we all need this! Happy thoughts, girl!

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  6. This is a great list for anyone who wants to be happy, never mind succeed as a writer!

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  7. Sharon - I have been striving to achieve point 3 as it has been a horrible week, full of bad news, on the personal front. I am already feeling more positive so thanks for the post .

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    1. You're more than welcome, Susan! It's hard to reprogramme the mind at times, so like learning to walk, take it one step at a time! Cheers!

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  8. Great tips. Right now I'm trying not to think about the heat here - the air con is going on full and I can STILL feel the heat. My positive spin - at least I have air con. :)

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