Positive attitude leads to success Published May 17, 2013 By Master Sgt. Corey Quinn 56th Maintenance Operations Group first sergeant LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Everyone wants to be successful, and there are many books, internet tests, and programs people try to market and sell to guarantee that success. But, I believe your success is greatly dependent on your attitude. So, what is attitude? Attitude is defined as manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind. Basically it is your personal outlook on a situation. Since becoming a first sergeant I have noticed different attitudes of Airmen. Some are happy, some are irritated, and some just hate coming to work. When asked why they feel that way, the answers vary drastically, but it always has to do with someone or something else "made" them that way. We own our attitudes; we are the only ones who can change them. Positive attitudes can make up for other areas that might be lacking. For new Airmen, knowledge and experience haven't yet been gained. Not everyone can give everything every day; however, with the right attitude you can still get the mission done. The Airmen that always look for the positives in a situation and take constructive criticism are the happy ones. They bounce back from adversity the easiest (resiliency) and enjoy their jobs. They smile and always are willing to help others. Negative attitudes not only destroy your performance, but others around you. If all you do is focus on what went wrong, you start to hesitate and become afraid of what might happen. These Airmen are always looking and pointing out the mistakes in themselves and everyone else, but instead of learning and trying to fix them they convince themselves its useless. These are the ones you see hating their jobs and irritated at almost every situation. I have learned that you control your outlook or ATTITUDE. I believe your attitude is the key to success. It has to be a conscious choice and will take work; however, when you stay in control of your attitude everything changes. You will be more successful, days are more enjoyable, productivity increases, and most importantly ... it's infectious! It's easy to have a good outlook when things are going your way, but what if they don't? Again, it will take work on our part, but take a step back and look at the situation. Find the positives; trust me there are always positives! For example, if you lose your driver's license. The positives could be that you can save money on gas, or you get more exercise by walking places. Let's say you misplaced or lost documentation. The positives could be that you develop a new filing system, or you can help others learn by your mistake. Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our "ATTITUDE." It is our attitude toward life and work that makes our life 100 percent successful. I will leave you with a quote from the fifth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Robert Gaylor, "Airmen have control over aptitude and attitude, opportunity ... not so much, but attitude can bring opportunities." If you assign the numerical value in order to the alphabet, what word gives you 100? L+U+C+K = 12+21+3+11 = 47 percent K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96 percent H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98 percent A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100 percent