The Main Ingredient of Success

As we celebrate completing our 50th year in business, we at The Pacific Institute are looking back on just what it is that comprises success. Some of the most successful people in the world have been students of our education, and in return, we have learned a great deal from them. We have also spent a lot of time in the company of some of the world’s most respected research psychologists, talking about what makes some people succeed and others collapse – the difference, in short, between the can’s and the can-nots, the do’s and the do-nots.

So, after all these years of studying and researching, we can say this with the utmost confidence: The secret of success is “attitude.” That’s it – Attitude. And let’s face it, it isn’t really a secret. When working through every challenge, it’s the mindset that matters most, and an integral part of our mindset is our attitude.

People who succeed do not have fewer problems than other people. They do not start out with greater brainpower, or better parents, or more money, either. As a matter of fact, sometimes they start out working against incredible odds. But they have a way of looking at things, a way of seeing obstacles as possibilities, and a way of hanging in there and making the most of every opportunity, that almost guarantees success.

As celebrated climber Royal Robbins once reported, “When it’s been a long day of climbing, and I feel like I can’t go any farther, I concentrate on the next three feet. And then the next three feet; and then the next three feet. Pretty soon, I’m at the top.”

Successful people are flexible, optimistic and hard working. If you want to sum it up in a word, it is not difficult: Success, more than anything else and without a doubt, is a question of Attitude. The good news about attitudes is that they can be changed, and we are in charge of creating our own attitudes.

So, what is your attitude toward your “next three feet?”