Failure = quitting

My father worked hard to convince me how important attitude is, but I didn't do a very good job of listening. I've spent most of my life thinking attitude was a result, not a cause. But, now I know otherwise.

My dad is one of those really optimistic people. He expects good outcomes, and so they frequently happen. He's one of the happiest people I know. He laughs easily, has strong relationships with family and friends, and has a good time doing even the mundane things.

When he had knee surgery last year, he was worried but also optimistic about the outcome. What happened? He's taken to his new knee very well. This outcome is a result of his attitude, which led him to do the things he needed for the operation to be a success. He was a model patient and a model during physical therapy afterward. His outcome was assured because of his attitude.

You see, I've discovered that failure is not the result of things going poorly, it's the result of quitting. No one can make you quit. You have to chose to quit. When things don't work out the way you would like, it's only feedback. You use this feedback to change your thinking and action, and that leads to success. As long as you keep trying, you can't fail. As long as you keep taking that feedback and trying new approaches, you will eventually succeed.

It took me a long time to realize this, but now I see it clearly. Success happens because people go into things with the right attitude. The right attitude allows them to do the things necessary to succeed. If things don't work out, they modify their thoughts and actions to get the outcomes they want. They don't stop trying until they get the results they want. The only way to fail is to stop trying or to never try. The only person who fails is the one who quits.

Or, as more succinctly put by Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich: " A quitter never wins--and a winner never quits."

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