How Do You Do What You Do?

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." —Lou Holtz

We have all met people in the world that seemed to have great potential. Maybe they were very smart. Maybe they had great athletic ability. And yet, they just don’t seem to be accomplishing much with their lives.

We have also met people who were very motivated. They worked hard. They always had great ambition. And yet, they also seem to be unable to accomplish what they had hoped to in their lives.

There are also people who seem to have a great deal of ability, they seem to be motivated, but they have a very poor attitude. Their attitude has a negative effect on their abilities and motivation and they are not able to accomplish what they want.

You recognize the problem. The combination of ability, motivation, and attitude is actually fairly rare. People have the ability, but not the motivation. People are motivated, but just don’t have the ability. People have the ability, but a bad attitude. People have a good attitude, but just not the motivation or the ability.

The fact that there are so few really successful people in the world comes back to this fact. Very few people are able to master their abilities, their motivation, and their attitude. The ones that can master these three accomplish great things.

What about you? Have you been given a great deal of talent? Are you constantly motivating yourself? What about your attitude? If any of these elements is missing, you are sabotaging your own success.

While we can work to do our best in all these areas, we all know that not everyone is the same. You can certainly develop your abilities, but you may never reach the level of someone who was born with certain talents. (You could spend your whole life practicing piano and never become a concert pianist—you may just not have that particular ability.) Develop the talent you have to its maximum potential.

Motivation is certainly one area that can be developed. You have to find what motivates you to your maximum potential. Maybe it is proving a college education for your kids. Maybe it is a new car. Maybe it is just doing something different. Whatever the motivation, make sure it is motivating you to use your talents to the max!

Of these three main attributes, your attitude is something that is all you. You are not born with an attitude. In fact, every day you wake up and decide what your attitude is for that day. Do you wake up and determine that you are going to have a positive attitude today? Do you let outside influences determine your attitude? Is your attitude hindering your talents and your motivation?

Getting these three factors to work in perfect harmony for you takes effort. You can read 100 books, attend multiple trainings, but if you don’t put forth the effort to make your abilities, your motivation, and your attitude all work together, you will not receive the benefits you deserve.

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