How to think positively and power your way to success, must be a subject you have heard before. However, here is a live example of Anand studying in final year B.Sc., whom I met while delivering a career guidance lecture in his institution.
He appeared bright and spoke with confidence of doing his MBA and building his career in marketing. I was even more impressed, when I heard his story of a complete transformation.
Anand came from a remote village with a troubled childhood. Abused at home, he had grown up in wrong company. With no idea of an appropriate career to pursue, he routinely joined a degree college in a distant city. The freedom in a college environment and the darker side of a hostel life made him unleashing terror frequently in college environment. Matters came to the fore, in the second year of his graduation, when in a fit of anger, he thrashed a student inflicting serious injuries and created a ruckus in the campus. Avoiding police intervention to save the reputation of the institute, the faculty and the college counsellor, decided otherwise. They convinced him to look at everything around him, with a new perspective and promised to help him build a rewarding career. Periodic counselling meetings helped to sustain his positive thinking
Soon, Anand awakened to realize that positive thinking isn’t a myth, but a practical way to develop and use inner faith to pursue worthwhile goals. Armed with a positive attitude, confidence and optimism, he was an epitome of complete change and positive behavior. It was no wonder he rose to be amongst the top five in the college.
Anand’s success story isn’t an isolated one, or unique. Behind every success story is a struggle and a turning point, the beginning of a complete transformation.
The importance of positive attitude
If you believe only academic brilliance leads to success, you must revalidate your opinion. On the contrary, as corroborated by Harvard research and HR consultants, in an employment selection process, 85% of the times, it’s the attitude of a potential employee, which counts as the deciding factor. While knowledge, which is the theoretical foundation, and job related skills can be gained, it’s entirely in your hands to develop the right attitude.
Inferring from the above, Anand probably realized that the problem was not his troubled childhood and environment, but how he reacted to what happened. The moment, he changed his perspective everything else fell into place, driving him on a path of academic excellence.
How to develop positive attitude
Our life doesn’t come with an instruction manual; so it’s natural we do mistakes. The key is to turn mistakes into lessons for life; recognizing initial failures as steps in the ladder of success.
Change focus, look for the positive
The mind is conditioned to see what you want to. In a recent program of career guidance, the students were amazed to discover their strengths, which they never realized before, as their mind was conditioned to look at only weaknesses. If you look for positive, you can find it all around, in yourself, people and situations. Train the mind to think positively by taking control of your thoughts. Break the habit of thinking negatively by persisting with your efforts to resist natural tendency. Remember, every time, you direct your mind to think positively, you are winning a battle; but it’s the ultimate war over the tendencies of a negative mind, that you need to win. For example, don’t doubt your capacity of getting through the CET and getting an admission into a reputed medical college. Because, whatever your mind can conceive, like a career in Engineering, Medicine or an offbeat career, you have the ability to achieve. Autosuggestions to yourself, that you can achieve your dreams, is a powerful and effective tool. Practice it to power your confidence.
Make a habit of doing it now
Never leave for tomorrow, what you can do today; change to a habit of doing it now. Procrastination is also a negative attitude that can slow down your energy, change the direction of your progress and reduce your confidence.Appreciate the happiness and satisfaction of finishing a task, like a complex homework or a project. Learn to live in the present, concentrating on the current tasks and priorities.
Develop an attitude of gratitude
Count your blessings, not your troubles is an adage worth remembering and practicing. Think of the opportunities you have in your present circumstances, like supportive parents, a good college environment and the innumerable career opportunities in both mainstream and offbeat careers, to pursue. Analyze yourself, making a list of all your strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. None of your weaknesses is permanent and you can overcome or minimize their impact, by consciously working over a period.
Get into a continuous education
Learning is not restricted to schools and colleges; education has to be a continuous process of updating yourselves. Schools and colleges provide intellectual education preparing you to earn, while you also need ethical and moral literacy for a living. Knowledge and job-related skills must complement values like honesty, integrity, courage, persistence, responsibility, etc., which are essential to manage career & life. True education, is therefore for both the mind & the heart.
Develop a positive self esteem
Do you feel capable of realizing your dreams? Do you feel it’s out of your reach? Self-esteem’, is simply how you feel about yourself. Lack of self-confidence in their own abilities, is a malady afflicting a large number of students. Positive attitude elevates your self-esteem and confidence, and makes you believe in your abilities to achieve your dreams.
However, a positive Self-esteem shouldn’t lead to ego and superiority complex, which will then be counter-productive.
Stay away from negative influences
Life in a school/college is a mirror reflection of the events that unfold in our society. Stay away from negative influences, which might prevail in your learning environment and focus on academic excellence to pursue a professional career.
Power of your confidence, with positive thinking
We are approaching the beginning of a new academic year and there could be skepticism and uncertainty in your mind, about overcoming the challenges of a merit seat or getting into a reputed institute. It’s time to think positive with a new hope and optimism, as you can achieve whatever your mind can conceive.
In recent times, your options to decide between careers, courses and institutes have multiplied and time consuming. A positive attitude helps you with the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. As you wait for your turn at counselling sessions, be calm and composed.
Positive thinking isn’t building overconfidence, but the right degree of confidence, adequate to counter the challenges in academic and professional life; it’s not to overlook realities of a situation, but countering it by a confident approach.