8 Ways to Go From Quitter to Go-Getter Persistence, more than talent, determines how far you go and where you end up.
By Sherrie Campbell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Success, more than anything, is an attitude you carry about yourself and your life. We are all capable of confidence, of having it all, losing it all and gaining it back again and again. It is tempting to give up and claim defeat when the chips are down. Fear and frustration are the two emotions most responsible for quitting. We must learn to bear both if we are to reach the levels of success we desire. Being a go-getter is something that will wax and wane throughout your career, so it is wise to view it as a virtue to be practiced rather than something to be mastered in a single decision.
1. Embrace failure.
Go-getters accept failure as a part of their entrepreneurial journey. View failure as your most critical learning tool. Failure forces you to find and access your own inner reservoirs of mental toughness. Failure also tests your perseverance, flexibility and willingness to learn and to change direction whenever necessary. It pushes you to think in new ways, to explore new ideas and to develop new skills. To become a go-getter you must adopt the mindset that failure is your greatest asset whenever you are trying to improve, learn something new or expand your horizons. Instead of getting bogged down with fear or frustration around failure, analyze what caused the failure and start working that much harder not to repeat the same mistakes over and again.
Related: This Is What It Means to Embrace Failure
2. Pay your dues.
Mastering anything only comes after hours and hours of repetition and practice. You cannot be stubborn, resistant or complain your way into success. To be a go-getter you must operate from willingness. You must be willing to pay your dues. You can never become great at anything you have neglected to train or prepare for. The harder you work, the more time you put in, the more proficient you will feel, and the deeper you will come believe in your skills. You have to put in your time to gain the mastery you desire. When you have knowledge you naturally develop more confidence; therefore, taking action is always the first step in becoming a go-getter. If at first you fail, adopt the mindset that you're in good company; all great successes have failed. All you have to do, is keep grinding.
Related: This Entrepreneur Skipped College and Made $1,037,100 In Five Months
3. Make no room for negative.
To go from quitter to go-getter you must make sure you have power and authority over your mind. A mind not well managed becomes a dangerous breeding-ground for lazy, negative and distorted thinking. Become attuned to what thoughts you allow to impact your attitude and be prepared to delete negative thoughts as they pop up throughout your day. If you give your pessimistic, defeatist thoughts power, they will act as parasites and drain you of the mental and emotional toughness necessary for your advancement. Treat your thoughts as tools; use and strengthen the thoughts which motivate and inspire you, and discard the rest.
Related: 4 Ways to Maintain a Positive Attitude Even When You're Stressed
4. Maximize your strengths.
Each of us is made up of a variety of strengths and weaknesses. No one is proficient in all the areas they desire to be. That's okay, it's not necessary for you to perfect to be a go-getter. It is more important to know your strengths and work to make those aspects of your skill set and personality even stronger. When you focus on your strengths it keeps you in touch with your innate worth. Do not waste time overestimating your abilities. True confidence comes in having the humility to accept yourself for who you are, flaws and all. Knowing you can trust yourself to work hard and to go the extra mile whenever necessary will help you strive for excellence with less pressure. If you come up short, as a go-getter, you can trust your hard work will eventually get you to your goal.
Related: 6 Key Ways to Maximize Your Introverted Employees' Strengths
5. Create a state of strong positive emotion.
Go-getters are motivated by the positive and believe if they can think an idea up there must be a way to achieve it. To open your mind to a new idea you must first create a state of positive emotion. To create a positive mindset begin by repeating your desired characteristics, goals, or wants in an affirmation-like fashion. It is an effective practice to say what you want out loud, as if you're thankful that you already have it. The mind doesn't know the difference. The mind needs convincing which is why repetition is important. Repeating your desired results out loud places your mindset directly in the faith that what you want is making its way to you right now.
Related: Why Affirmations Have Failed You and 4 Steps to Change That
6. Walk with confidence.
Go-getters have swagger. Your most powerful advertisement to the external world is your body language. For this reason, walk with your chest expanded and chin slightly lifted. When you hold this posture, it puts your eyes forward and your posture tall. Other people read this as you are open for communication. Once they approach you, be sure to use your hands to reinforce what you're saying and give appropriate eye contact to the person you're speaking with. You do not want to stare someone down, but you want to make sure you're having enough eye contact to show deep interest, that you are listening and that you feel something about what is being communicated. Body language either draws people in or it pushes others away. Go-getters understand drawing people in means increased opportunity.
Related: 15 Body Language Secrets of Successful People
7. Practice gratitude.
You are going to experience setbacks in life and all throughout your career. To be a go-getter you must practice gratitude. Practicing gratitude is one of the most effective ways to regain perspective after a painful setback. Committing to daily gratitude is even better. It is simple to do and a great way to attract solutions, opportunities, increased happiness, satisfaction and abundance into your life. There is a way to be thankful for just about anything from running water to your thriving business. There is nothing too small for your gratefulness. Gratitude does wonders for your attitude; it changes your vibe and puts you into a motivated mindset to achieve even more to be thankful for.
Related: A Little Gratitude Can Go a Long Way
8. Use humor.
Business is serious stuff. To master being a go-getter, you must avoid living with a bad case of "seriosity." What is the point in working hard if you're too perfectionistic to find the joy, fun and humor along the way? Go-getters understand emotions are contagious and make sure to bring a positive, outgoing, uplifted, lighthearted, joking vibe into every interaction they have. You must do the same. People prefer to do business with those they like.
To be a go-getter you must know how to win people over with your personality. Having a positive and lighthearted sense of humor not only puts you in a better mood, but it increases the morale of all of those around you.
