Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be?
- Marianne Williams

It is often said that attitude is the greatest predictor of success. How true ... how true! It very well could be that nothing is more important than your attitude. In fact, in my opinion, for you to realize your greatest potential and profitability, you must have the right mindset. Without it, the odds of reaching your goals are lower than they should be. I do not want to get into the psychological aspects of this, but our beliefs about what we can accomplish, what we are worthy of accomplishing, and how much money we should make are rooted in the deep recesses of our minds (or perhaps not-so-deep recesses).

Some people call this self-speak, i.e. telling ourselves -- consciously or subconsciously -- that we do or do not deserve something ... that we can or cannot achieve a goal ... that we are or are not good enough. However, to achieve success, you have to know what you want, why you want it, how you are going to achieve it, and why you deserve it. Anything less places unnecessary obstacles in your way. Who needs that? There are already enough obstacles to running a successful business. You don't want to add more.

Even the greatest suffer from this affliction
Eric Clapton, the great guitarist, openly reflects upon his early years in music. Both he and his mates from various bands are quick to tell you that he was unreliable and difficult to get along with. He made life so difficult in fact, band members often agreed that even his immense talent wasn't worth the pain of having him in their bands.

Clapton has said that, looking back, it's obvious he was sabotaging himself. He says his attitude was not based on thinking he was a better musician than the others or that he thought he deserved special treatment. Ironically, it was based on his belief that he had no right to the accolades he had been receiving. He often thought he would be better off to return home and work for his grandfather's construction company.

The reluctant star eventually went into seclusion for several years. He says that doing so ensured that he couldn't disappoint anyone, including himself. Fortunately, his friends convinced him that he was worthy of all the recognition he received. Since that time his mindset has been fixed on his success and he has been on a constant vigil, looking for and addressing any indications that he may be sabotaging himself and his career.

Why not you?
You don't have to a world-renown musician to question your validity. Like Clapton, many of us grow up thinking that a high degree of success (however you define that) is for other people -- that we should be satisfied with "making a living." If this is what you really want, that's fine. But many of us could make more money, have more free time, and have fewer headaches by working for someone else. As I see it, however, if you want to work as hard and as diligently as you do, you deserve to be successful. Why should someone else deserve it and not you?

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