Attitudes are more important than facts.

Dr. Karl Menninger

Attitudes are intangible and highly personal. They're based on your experience, but more importantly, on your interpretation of that experience.� That is, how you understand the "facts" of a given situation. People who interpret the facts of their experience positively tend to be self-confident.

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Not surprisingly, the best predictor of success is your level of confidence. Confident people tend to initiate action and control their environment--even under difficult conditions. Your degree of self-confidence will determine the kinds of risks you take, the amount of effort you'll expend, and the strength of your perseverance in time of trouble. Your confidence will determine the amount of flexibility you creatively apply in new situations. Your confidence will promote either optimism or pessimism and will dictate the degree to which you are vulnerable to debilitating stress or depression.

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No one can give you confidence. You must create it yourself. You can start by discovering your strengths in the "facts" of every situation.

George Ebert is the President of Trinity River Seminars and Consulting, a firm specializing in the custom design and delivery of team building, personal growth and ethical development programs. Mr. Ebert is a highly sought after speaker, educator and consultant with over thirty years experience in both the public and private sectors. He has presented widely throughout the Unites States. He is the author of the management cult classic, Climbing From the Fifth Station: A guide to building teams that work!

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