Attitudes Are Contagious

This week's post was written by Reid Vander Veen.

For years I’ve been a fan and follower of Canadian entrepreneur Dan Martell. I first met Dan at a conference in Sioux Falls where he was speaking on the topic of creative community and providing startup advice for young entrepreneurs. Interacting with, following, or watching Dan, you’ll quickly realize a few things -- he’s a no nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is type of person, and he is very excited and passionate about helping others become successful. His most recent startup, Clarity, is a service meant to connect budding entrepreneurs with successful mentors of the likes of Mark Cuban, Eric Ries, and thousands of others. Dan is so passionate about helping others that since Clarity was acquired by Fundable earlier this year, he’s devoted all of his time and energy toward sharing advice, ideas, and encouragement with others.

One of my favorite things about Dan is that his passion and excitement are undeniable, and his attitude is rarely, if ever, negative. He makes a point to answer positively any time someone asks how he is doing or how things are going. “Great!” “Awesome!” “Things are amazing!” These are all common responses Dan will give to the question. But the best part is, he means it! Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, was another advocate for having a positive mental attitude. These two successful businessmen, though from completely different times and situations, both clearly understand the power of having a positive mental attitude. The effect and impact of a positive mental attitude is obvious for these two men, those around them, and those that have chosen to learn from them -- and the same can be true for us.

Consistently having a positive mental attitude does not come without some practice. It can be difficult to control and even harder to master. Too often, we let our situations and circumstances control our attitudes. Regaining this control and ownership over our attitudes is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves and our teams. Few will argue that it’s enjoyable working with someone who has a poor attitude or consistently seems to run everything through a filter of negativity. Life will not always be daisies and rainbows, but fewer people will argue how pleasant it is being around folks that are excited, positive, and engaging, and have chosen not to dwell on the less-than-ideal details in their given situations and remain positive.

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

Continue Leading the Interstates Way!
Reid Vander Veen