My work with dozens of new franchisees in the initial training period and with many more established franchisees, salespeople and staff over the years has made me reach the conclusion that “attitude determines success,” is painfully obvious.

It is one of those things we have said, overheard or had said to us numerous times in the past. It is one of those sayings that is used in certain situations, but is never really expected to produce results; ‘Why don’t you change your damned attitude?’

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if attitudes could be changed easily and at will both in others and in ourselves? If we could take our own negative attitudes and, without too much difficulty, redesign our personalities to be happier, less stressed, more successful, more companionable, wouldn’t that be great?

Believe it or not, changing attitudes is quite simple, and can be dramatic and permanent.

We all know that ‘if you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are dead right’ or that ‘winners make it happen, losers let it happen’. But knowing these simple phrases is far different from understanding the mechanisms behind them and using them to help people develop new, positive and successful attitudes.

What does ‘attitude’ mean?

To change an attitude we first need to understand exactly what an ‘attitude’ is.

Take a few seconds to relax and be mentally calm. It’s not easy when you are reading, but try. Now, with each of the following words, write down the first thing that comes into your mind. Not nouns, such as table, chair or dog, but allow a second or two, no more, for a given word to be digested and write down the feeling it conjures within you.

George W Bush ………………………………………
Illegal immigrants ……………………………………
Snake ………………………………………………
Public speaking ……………………………………
Politician ……………………………………………

Some of those words/feelings you described may also be bringing emotions to the surface. Emotions expressed in language such as joy, fear, hate, disgust. These form a basis of your attitude towards these particular subjects.

An attitude is seemingly conjured up from nowhere. If you were asked to speak in public to more than 300 people, your first reaction may be “Oh no, I hate public speaking!” or “I’ll do it, but I won’t like it” or perhaps “Yes, OK, sure”.

These instant thoughts are your attitude toward public speaking. You don’t rationally take in the information, analyse it, dissect it and reach a logical and qualified conclusion. The thought or feeling just materialises in your conscious brain and you react accordingly. In some instances, the thought or feeling can bring with it physical reactions; nausea, sweaty palms or an increased heart rate. Strange isn’t it – that a word or suggestion can create such an irrational physical reaction?

Your ‘attitude’ is actually a habit of thought. Your conscious mind has developed well-worn pathways to your subconscious mind through repetition. If you constantly tell yourself something negative, for example, “I hate public speaking”, “I’m stupid” or “ugly” or “fat” or “useless”, the subconscious comes to believe what you are saying and it becomes ingrained as part of your character.

When stimulated by a word from the conscious mind, the subconscious cannot do anything other than flood your mind with what you have told it over the years. It is a faithful servant, as always, and feeds your thoughts with the information and related emotions it has stored for you, at your request.

Someone may have installed the initial message transmitted to the subconscious many years earlier, a parent repeatedly telling you that you are this, that or the next thing. Or a sibling, friend or teacher making a remark that is absorbed by the conscious mind as having true significance. Maybe it was an event that was charged with an emotion, distorted by your immaturity, ignorance or a lack of understanding. The fact that it was implanted into the subconscious with emotion (fear, hate, love, etc.) creates not only the thought pathway, but also the emotional pathway that was initially experienced, thus creating what everyone sees as your ‘attitude’.

Changing your attitude is both simple and difficult. The difficult part is believing that it is easy. The easy bit is reprogramming the old pathways.

An attitude could be explained by picturing the Grand Canyon. This deep, awesome gorge was formed by the waterway at its base. Over countless decades of traveling the same path, the water has created a huge natural flaw in the landscape, in much the same way as the neutral pathways have created a canyon between your conscious and subconscious minds.

A psychologist would want to get down to the bottom of the crevasse and examine the water; where did it come form? What event caused the initial flow? Dig, delve, examine, analyse and, after months or years, slowly fill in the canyon or dam it upstream and hope that it never rains again in the foothills.

It is far easier to build a bridge. Believe it or not, the river will dry up and the desert winds will fill in the canyon and it will never reappear. The bridge formed over your mental canyon is founded on nothing more than simple affirmations: “I love public speaking! I’m great at it and people are charged by my enthusiasm.” However, a bridge is made of more than just its foundations. To create a sturdy, permanent and withstanding overpass, rather than remaining as a fleeting thought, these affirmations should be written down, placed in prominent positions and read out loud until the subconscious is convinced that these affirmations are the new attitude.

If you are interested in this, make sure to read our case studies.