The Trouble With Rose-Colored Glasses

It was tactfully suggested to me that I might want to seek other employment but I was determined to be the best salesman that company ever had. And believe it or not, that actually happened, not only for that particular company but for every insurance company I worked for after that.

How did it happen? I made a decision to develop Winner Behavior. You might be surprised to learn that being a winner is actually a choice. The TWO things that separate WINNERS from LOSERS are the amount of control they exert over their attitudes and behaviors. And since both of these are under your direct control, YOU get to decide whether you want to be a winner or a loser.

Inside rose-colored glasses…a losing view

I'm sure you're familiar with the saying, "That person looks at life through rose-colored glasses." Generally that means they refuse to see reality and instead live in denial about any concerns or problems. Because they have insulated themselves from the need to change and grow, they succumb to whatever "fate" wishes to dish out and develop a victim or loser mentality.

Losers are easy to spot because they all share some common traits:

· Losers decide they have no control over their life and therefore blame other people or circumstances for their problems. They spend their days complaining about everything: the weather, their job, the government, their family!
· Losers make promises they don't honor, talk about things they plan to do but never do them, and repeat unproductive behaviors over and over without learning a thing.
· Losers secretly fear success and resist change because they are afraid to do anything new.
· Losers are incapable of making daily progress toward a long term goal; instead they feel cheated when their efforts don't pay immediate dividends.
· Losers are content with mediocrity. If challenged, they merely reply, "I'm not as bad as a lot of other people."
· Losers compromise their values and principles just to "win" at any given moment, unaware that their gains come at a high price and won't last.

In short, losers are very unhappy, miserable people who have made a very bad choice in life. Whether they are ignorant of their ability to change, or they refuse to do the work that change requires, they have resigned themselves to a defeated, dead end life.

Choosing the winner's view!

Winners, on the other hand stand, out for a whole host of different reasons. Winners have a magnetic draw - you want to be around them; they bring out the best in people. Although some people can learn the "language of a winner" and may even dress the part, they can't fake it for long.

Winners are easy to spot because they too share some common characteristics.

· Winners always accept personal responsibility for their life and behavior. They admit mistakes and learn from them; they repeat behavior that works and avoid behaviors that don't.
· Winners make a personal commitment and stick to it. When someone gives them a job to do, you can count on them to follow through.
· Winners pay whatever price is necessary to get the job done, to keep their word, and to accomplish their long-term goals.
· Winners ask questions and really listen to others. They are constantly learning and growing.
· Winners consider obstacles opportunities; a way to improve their problem-solving abilities; a way to reach the next level.
· Winners have a written plan and establish daily goal-setting activities, continually monitoring and measuring their results and keeping a positive attitude.
· Winners stand on their principles and values. They never compromise or take short cuts that violate their belief system.

At some point all successful people made a choice to develop winner behavior! They didn't leave their destiny to chance or wear rose-colored glasses to avoid taking responsibility.

Instead, they decided to pay the price to make their life as wonderful as possible. Winners are positive, enthusiastic, energetic, goal-oriented people with a zest for life and an expectation that things will turn out well.

CHOOSE TO BE A WINNER!