“Attitude is Everything” by Jeff Keller [Detailed Book Summary]
About Book
Jeff Keller in his book, Attitude is Everything, makes us know that we can shape our attitude to be better regardless of what it is currently. He shows us that we can choose to act positively regardless of the opposition we are met with. He tells us to watch our words and the material (books, tapes, and videos) we consume. He also tells us to quit complaining and stay enthusiastic about the prospects we aim at. In the last few lessons, he encourages us to take action, confront our fears, build good networks and be willing to fail.
Book Summary
Introduction
Jeff started on how he was able to attain his teenage dreams of becoming a lawyer and his marriage to Dolores (his classmate in law school). He tells us about his love for his job but how it became a dread to him and his search for some source of happiness or escape from it. He tells us how he got a product called The Mental Bank one day through an infomercial (which he considers to be an unexpected avenue as he is less likely to watch such programs) which changed his life.
He tells us how he gradually transitioned from a lawyer to a motivational speaker, his mother’s initial disapproval, the work he had to put in, and the support he had from his spouse. He tells us that the book is divided into three parts (Success Begins in the Mind, Watch Your Words, Heaven Helps Those Who Act) and he briefly explains what we are going to learn from each of them.
Part 1 — Success Begins in the Mind
Lesson 1 — Your Attitude Is Your Window to the World
Jeff used a story to make us understand that our attitudes are like windows, and we have the choice to keep them clean always, and we are to prevent them from being smudged by the things we face and encounter by constantly maintaining a positive attitude. He uses the story of Viktor Frankl (a man who suffered greatly in Nazi camps, but chose to keep a positive mental attitude) to make us understand and know that we have the power to choose our outlook on life. He also tells us that having the right attitude is the prerequisite to effectively utilising success principles.
Lesson 2 — You’re a Human Magnet
Jeff made us understand the power of our dominant thought; that is, we become what we regularly think about (be it positive or negative). He advises us to be positive and mind the words we say to ourselves. He also tells us to go beyond thinking (which is the first stage to taking action) and the need to persist regardless of setbacks on the path we have set for ourselves. He says, “you can achieve your goal when you believe in yourself and keep your thoughts focused on the positive,” and he advises repetitive positive thinking through the reading of uplifting literature and listening to motivational audio daily.
Lesson 3 — Picture Your Way to Success!
Jeff in this lesson made us understand what he calls our inner pictures — the movie of our mind. He tells us that though we may have had our mental picture influenced by negative criticism or experiences in the past which may now be limiting us, we can choose to change it by changing the picture through persistent positive meditation (that is, continually creating mental images of our desired outcome) which prompts us to take needed action towards that goal. He tells of visual aids (that is, using things or descriptions that would apply to us when we attain our desires) which could serve as visual reminders of our goals; he tells us to place them where we can regularly see them every day. He also speaks of attaching positive emotions as we visualise our desired goals.
Lesson 4 — Make a Commitment… and You’ll Move Mountains!
Jeff in this lesson tells us of the power of commitment and persistence. He makes us understand that commitment implies the willingness to give our all to the attainment of our desired goal. He makes us see that commitment opens doors and begins the process of being aware of things we were unaware of, and how it allows us to meet people we may have never met. He uses stories of himself and certain other persons, such as David Baldacci, Jerry Gladstone, and Benjamin Roll, to describe the power of commitment and persistence. He warns us of the possibilities of making mistakes, facing setbacks, and disappointment which would tempt us to abandon our goals, but he encourages us to yet persist and not give up. He ends this chapter by telling us the need to set deadlines and budgets towards the actualization of our goals and not just go into it headlong.
Lesson 5 — Turn Your Problems into Opportunities
In this lesson, Jeff made us understand that “a problem is often not a problem at all. It may actually be an opportunity.” With stories, he made us see how certain misfortune positioned certain people for progress and much better things. Thus, he encourages us not to be brought down by problems, but to seek the positives that they bring. He lists and explains seven ways adversity serves us, and they are;
- Adversity gives us perspective
- It teaches us to be grateful
- It brings out our hidden potential
- It encourages us to make changes and take action
- It teaches us valuable lessons
- It opens a new door
- It builds confidence and self-esteem
He ends this chapter with the following words: “In times of crisis, always strive to maintain an optimistic attitude and an open mind — for this is the environment that will allow you to find the benefit in your difficulty.”
Part 2 — Watch Your Words
Lesson 6 — Your Words Blaze a Trail
In this lesson, Jeff made us understand the power of our words, which constitute our beliefs, which in turn birth our results. He tells how it affects our relationships, careers, health, and finances. He says that we must be mindful of whom we share our goals with because negative people are bound to discourage us.
Lesson 7 — How Are You?
Jeff groups the response to the question, “How are you?” into three groups (negative, mediocre, and positive) and he tells us how our response affects us, our relationship with the persons asking, and the persons themselves. The negative responses include; “Lousy. Terrible. I’m tired. It’s not my day. Thank God it’s Friday. A day older and a dollar broker. Don’t ask.” The mediocre ones include; “I’m okay. Not too bad. Could be worse. Same old, same old. Hangin’ in there. Fine.” And the positive ones include; “Terrific. Fantastic. Great. Excellent. Super. I’m on top of the world. It doesn’t get any better.”
He encourages us to choose positive responses to the question, “How are you?” and that we say them with enthusiasm even when things in our life seem to be the opposite.
Lesson 8 — Stop Complaining!
In this lesson, Jeff tells us that “nobody likes to be around a complainer — except, perhaps, other complainers,” and complaining does no good but adds more pain and prevents us from making progress towards the solution. He tells that discussing one’s problems to get a solution differs from complaining. He says, “rather than complaining, it’s far better to focus your attention and your energy on those steps you can take to solve, or at least lessen your problem.” He makes us understand the importance of counting our blessings and being positive as we move towards finding solutions to the challenges we have rather than complaining and being brought down by them. He used the story of a person whom we would consider having the right to complain (because of all his family had lost) but still chose to be positive to make us understand why we should stop complaining.
Part 3 — Heaven Helps Those Who Act
Lesson 9 — Associate with Positive People
In this lesson, Jeff Keller divided people into two categories;
- Toxic people
- Nourishing people
He makes us understand the dangers of spending time with toxic people and how their negative messages and words can wear a person down; he contrasts it with how energised and encouraged we become when we spend time with positive people. He tells us that we are affected by what we listen to repetitively or regularly; thus, he encourages us to fill our time with positive messages by reading motivational books, listening to motivational tapes, and being around positive people. He also tells us to limit our involvement/contact with negative people and choose our friends wisely.
Lesson 10 — Confront Your Fears and Grow
Jeff Keller tells us the need to be uncomfortable to grow; that is, going outside our comfort zone to try out things needed for our development. He tells us that we all have different fear thresholds. He lists several common fears which are;
- Public speaking or giving presentations
- Hearing the word “NO” or having ideas rejected
- Changing jobs or starting a business
- Telling managers or executives “Negative News”
- Talking to people in upper management
- Fear of failure
He reminds us that we are stronger than our fears and we can overcome them. He says that the only benefit of backing away from our fears is “momentary avoidance of anxiety,” but the price for backing away is lowered self-esteem, self-sabotaging of one’s success, frustration, etc. He reminds us that we won’t be fantastic in what we want to achieve on just the first try, but we are winners by starting it and over time what we feared would become a part of our comfort zone. He also tells us the story of Dottie Burman, who pushed past her fear to transition from her job as a teacher into show business.
Lesson 11 — Get Out There and Fail
Jeff in this lesson makes us understand the need and power of persistence when faced with repeated failures. Using the stories of famous people such as Sally Jessy Raphael, Jerry Seinfeld, Jack Canfield, and Mark Victor Hansen, etc., he shows how their persistence yielded results. He tells us the importance of being enthusiastic about what we hope to achieve, the need for positive encouragement, and how failure is part of the process towards success. He warns against focusing on what people think about our continued efforts towards success. He lists and explains five questions we should ask ourselves when we are constantly met with failure, which are;
- Do I have an unrealistic timetable?
- Am I truly committed?
- Do I have too many discouraging influences?
- Am I preparing to succeed?
- Am I truly willing to fail?
He says that it is up to us to see disappointments as challenges to overcome, and not as insurmountable obstacles. He ends this lesson with the words, “If you make it your business to learn from every defeat and stay focused on the end result you wish to attain, failure will eventually lead you to success!”
Lesson 12 — Networking That Gets Results
Jeff makes us understand the importance of networking and how it helps increase our success. He lists and explains 16 techniques for productive networking, which include;
- Project a winning attitude
- Participate actively in groups and organisations
- Serve others in your network
- Be a good listener
- Call people from time to time just because you care
- Take advantage of everyday opportunities to meet people
- Treat every person as important — not just the “influential”
- At meetings and seminars, make it a point to meet different people
- Be willing to go beyond your comfort zone
- Send congratulatory cards and letters
He ends this lesson by telling us to ensure we are excellent in our chosen field as we improve our networking skills.
Enlightening Quotes
You don’t need talent, money or good looks to have a great attitude. You just need to get in the habit of using a high-energy, positive response.
Those who occupy your time have a significant impact on your most priceless possession — your mind!
Show me a successful person and I’ll show you someone who confronts his or her fears and takes action!
You are stronger than any of your fears… and you can overcome them!
You’ll never be highly successful or develop your talents to the fullest unless you’re willing to confront your fears.
When you believe you can do something, you have the courage to move forward despite being afraid.
Consider yourself an immediate winner when you take the step and do the thing you fear.
Running away from your fears is a losing strategy.
Expand your comfort zone. The courage muscle can be developed just like any other muscle — with exercise. And when you do an activity outside your comfort zone a few times, you know what happens? That same activity becomes part of your comfort zone!
When you push through fear and take action in some areas of your life, you’ll develop confidence in other areas, as well.
Life doesn’t reward those who refuse to expose themselves to difficulties and challenges.
If you keep trying, keep developing yourself and keep making adjustments along the way, you’re going to succeed.
Your failures are learning experiences that point out the adjustments you must make. Never try to hide from failure, for that approach guarantees that you’ll take virtually no risks… and achieve very little.
If you make it your business to learn from every defeat and stay focused on the end result you wish to attain, failure will eventually lead you to success!
Famous People Stories Mentioned in the Book
Celine Dion, Jim Carrey, David Baldacci, Jerry Gladstone, Benjamin Roll, Dave Bruno, Zig Ziglar, Kent Cullers, Eddie Rickenbacker, Sally Jessy Raphael, Mark McGwire, Michael Jordan, Jerry Seinfeld, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Rush Limbaugh.
Books and Article Mentioned in the Book
- The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want by Mike Hernacki
- Is There Meaning to a Brain Tumor? by Sharon S. Epstein (Article)
- Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
- Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
