People always blame their bad attitude on the day.

That’s boloney. What you’re really saying is, “I’ve let other people get to my attitude,” or “I’ve let other circumstances get to my attitude.” That’s a sign of mental weakness. If you tell yourself you’re having a bad day, I promise you will have one. The day is not bad unless you name it bad.

Positive attitude, or lack thereof, is the root of many situations. Below are 5.5 random thoughts and insights on the cause, the cure and the benefits of positive attitude.

1. Start at the beginning. “Philosophy drives attitude. Attitude drives actions. Actions drive results. Results drive lifestyles.” That’s a quotation from America’s business philosopher, Jim Rohn. If you don’t like your lifestyle, look at your results. If you don’t like your results, look at your actions. If you don’t like your actions, look at your attitude. If you don’t like your attitude, look at your philosophy. Most salespeople make the fatal mistake of starting in the middle. They start with their actions. If you have no philosophy and you have a lousy attitude, what kind of actions are you going to take? And if I asked you right now what is your philosophy, you probably would respond, “Duh!”

2. Develop a “yes” attitude. A “yes” attitude is more declarative. It tells people in a word their expectations will be met. Everyone wants to hear “yes,” and if you think of yourself as a “yes” person, not only will you be in a positive frame of mind but you will also have positive expectations.

3. Celebrate effort, not victory. Too many times, salespeople and their leaders celebrate only the sale. That’s important, but it’s equally important to celebrate the work that went into making the sale happen. Your work ethic will lead you to more sales than any other element in your sales arsenal.

4. You know what to do; you just don’t do it. As I go from audience to audience, they all have one common theme: Everyone already knows everything. The problem is, they are not doing it. There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. As you read through this column, don’t tell yourself, “I know that.” Ask yourself instead, “How good am I at that?” That question will lead you to learning.

5. Attitude means time management. Most lessons in time management are pretty much a waste of time. You know what to do. You even know when to do it. What you need is a lesson in procrastination, or lessons in higher self-image, or a lesson in fear of rejection, or a lesson in preparation. Those lessons will allow you to execute the things that in your own mind you believe you “don’t have time for” but in reality are just avoiding.

5.5. Be selfish. Learn for yourself. Do it for yourself. Selfish wins. In order for you to be the best you can be for others, first you must be best for yourself. If you want to be the best salesperson, first you must be the best person. If you want to be the best dad or mom, first you must be the best person you can be for yourself. When you achieve what’s best for yourself, then and only then can you be your best for others. I know it has a selfish twinge to it, but if you think about it long enough you will come to realize that your shortcomings in all of your endeavors stem from the fact you’re not being the best person you can be first. At the root of “best” is best attitude.

Positive attitude is defined as “the way you dedicate yourself to the way you think.” But be careful in putting that definition into action, because the same words hold true as the definition of a negative attitude.

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President of Charlotte, N.C.-based Buy Gitomer, Jeffrey Gitomer gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com.