Attitude. The dictionary defines attitude as a state of mind regarding a person or matter.

In business one can have an outlook of possibility or an outlook of limitation. We all carry attitudes about our employer, our products or services, our marketplace, our prospects, and of course, ourselves.

If you jump out of bed every day, dive into your work, and find nothing more exciting than reviewing your financial statement and sales projections, skip to the next article. You don’t need to read this.

If, on the other hand, you occasionally start your day with some doubt about your business, some dread over making prospecting calls, or go into a dark mood when things don’t go just right, in your business, these few words might help you make life a bit brighter.

Attitude is an integral part of the success triangle. It's at the top, above behavior and technique, stating that attitude dominates all of the other functions of success.

In other words, your performance is consistent with the way you view yourself conceptually. At any given moment, your state of mind can be one of possibility, or one of limitation. Do you see yourself as a leader, or a follower? Are you at the top of your game, or at the bottom of the heap?

You can see and accept the reasons and means to make something happen, or you can see and accept the reasons and obstacles that block your progress.

Here’s the kicker: it’s your choice, and the choice you make is potent. The outlook you take is generally the result of previous experience, or a perception based on someone else’s experience.

The reality is that your previous experience, or the history of others, may not be relevant in the moment.

We humans are a habitual bunch, typically more aware of information that is consistent with the outlook we choose - even when that choice is subconscious.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” If you believe your marketplace is saturated, you’ll likely believe that your quota or goal is unattainable. Once you’ve accepted that judgment, it will color all of your actions. If your attitude is one of resignation, for example, you will be more likely to forego setting goals, making plans and taking action steps, and less likely to commit and follow through.

Your actions are influenced by the judgments you make, and the judgments you make are influenced by your attitude, which governs, ultimately, your behavior and the techniques you employ or forget.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Einstein was a pretty smart man - with an overwhelming outlook of possibility.

Is attitude a problem for you? Pay attention to the conversation going on in your head when you wake in the morning. Notice how the lightness, darkness, or neutrality of your thoughts color the way you approach your clients and your daily tasks - if you let it.

Choosing a new attitude is a commitment you make with yourself. The guidelines are simple. Ask yourself: • Where are you experiencing difficulty? • Is it painful enough to change? • And what are you willing to do to make it different?

Changing one thing for the better is worth more than proving 1,000 things wrong. Make it your goal today to change just one thing about your approach to your life and your business, and remember the words of Thomas Edison: “There are no rules here - we’re trying to accomplish something!”

Joe Marr is a public speaker, sales and management consultant and trainer, and runs Sandler Training - Ann Arbor at 501 Avis Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.