Summary of ‘Attitude is Everything’

By Jeff Keller

The book ‘Attitude is Everything’ highlights the key to success by stressing that positive thinking, perception, and perspective through which life is viewed have a huge impact on our mental growth. To make our outlook more optimistic, the writer quotes the words of Hugh Downs:

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.”

It tries to make us believe that attitude, the mental filter, is solely responsible for determining a person’s success or failure. To comprehend it and apply it in practical life, this book is divided into three sections:

THINK! SUCCESS BEGINS IN THE MIND

The only thing in our control is our thoughts. The idea of ‘We become what we think’ shows that positive thoughts in any situation, good or bad, determine our happiness and success. Vision, the art of seeing things invisible to others, has a major influence on our minds (thoughts) making us feel confident in the worst circumstances. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times during the invention of the bulb, but it was his positive mind-set that kept him going.

SPEAK! WATCH YOUR WORDS

Words are what make a man special. Complaining and making excuses only leads to worse outcomes, as constantly repeating tiny problems throughout the day makes one feel even duller and more disappointed. By exemplifying the case of NASA’s head of a department who would call his blindness a minor physical difficulty, Jeff Keller shows us how our words impact our situations.

ACT! TAKE ACTION

Merely thinking and speaking positively do not yield fruitful outcomes; actions must be taken to tear down the unbreakable bonds. Dumping negative friends, letting toxic people out of your circle, and stepping beyond your comfort zone are essential parts of this journey. Actions can be fearful, but to achieve success one must have the willingness to feel uncomfortable. Failure is certain in every journey but as we all know every winner has once crawled, then walked, and then ran. In that case, fear of failure must not hinder us from reaching the sky.

CONCLUSION

This book allows us to emphasize focusing on our attitude rather than the situations that we cannot control. If you cannot control your circumstances, then put a smile on your face and be happy. Dr. Charles illustrates the power of attitude by saying,

“Attitude is more important than past, education, money, failure and success. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”

So now, let's choose: misery forever or prosperity forever. After all, attitude is the steering wheel of your life.