We have often missed the mark because we believe we set goals too high. In a moment of enthusiastic wishful thinking, we have stretched just a bit too far, too high, too tough. But did we? Probably not. Here is your proof...

Attitude is at the top of the Success Triangle (Attitude, Behavior, Technique) because attitude dominates all of the other functions of success. It's a safe bet that your performance is consistent with the way you view yourself conceptually. Your mindset, or your outlooks, controls your behavior, your use of techniques, your actions, tactics, strategies--everything that determines failure or success in your life.

You take your outlook with you no matter where you go in life. If, for example, you're one of the top producers in your company and you resign tomorrow, wherever you go you're going to reach the top again. You'll get the same training as your peers, and you'll sell the same product or service, and work from the same pool of leads, but you'll outperform most of the others simply because of your attitude. It's so predictable, it's frightening! Attitude determines results, good or bad.

Attitude is never non-existent. It's not like an illness which comes and goes. It's always present. Even in our sleep, attitude can be reflected in our dreams. However, it's when we awake in the morning that attitude shifts into gear and begins to control the rest of the day.

By David H. Sandler. Excerpted You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, 1995 David H. Sandler. All rights reserved.