We all want to get ahead, and figuring out what’s keeping your goals out of reach can be tricky. It takes asking a lot of important questions and making sure all the pieces are in place to ensure your success. You’ll want to be sure you’re getting the right training, connecting with the best possible mentors, and working for a company that positions you for growth. But, don’t forget to take a good hard look where it matters most: yourself. Your attitude and the way you approach life, your job, and the people around you can be the critical factor that decides your fate. Luckily, your workplace attitude is the one piece of the puzzle entirely within your control. All it takes is accepting responsibility for the role your attitude plays, along with a willingness to change.

Here are 10 easy ways to change your attitude for the better:

1. Stop Complaining: Everyone complains from time to time, but a nonstop stream of complaints gives the impression of someone who’s constantly dissatisfied. While it’s normal to be occasionally frustrated when things don’t go your way, nonstop complaining shows an unwillingness to take action on your own behalf. If you’re miserable in your job or hate where you live, ask yourself what you can do to change your circumstances.

2. Banish Excuses: If you have the bad habit of justifying your own behavior, you’re missing a lot of opportunities for growth. Only by being accountable for your own mistakes can you hope to learn from them. Taking ownership is necessary to improve your performance in the future.

3. Assume the Best: Instead of adopting a can’t do workplace attitude, be optimistic and focus on what you can do. If you assume things will not go your way, why would you try at all? Your negative assumptions could be keeping you from taking risks and trying new courses of action, which could produce exciting and unexpected results.

4. Stop Sweating Everything: When everything bothers you, and you’re almost always angry and  stressed out about something, all that tension drains energy you need to be great at your job. Getting caught up in your emotions also prevents you from being able to objectively look at situations to try to understand why problems occurred so they can be avoided in the future.

5. Own It: If you spend a lot of time explaining why things are not your problem, you’re also missing the opportunity to take credit when things improve. Passing the buck may protect you in the short term, but it cheats you out of chances to grow and take on positions of greater responsibility.

6. Learn to Compromise: It may seem like you’re standing behind your beliefs, but people who never compromise can make collaborating with others a miserable or even impossible process. What you call your independence or strong mindedness could be preventing you from making valuable contributions to team projects, or you might be derailing the team’s efforts altogether. Instead of drawing a line in the sand, strongly state your concerns, but listen to other ideas as well. The best course of action is often somewhere in the middle.

7. Embrace Questions: When people question you, it can feel like they’re doubting you. The reality may be that they are just seeking clarity or shedding light on a detail you overlooked. Questions from others can help you provide critical support for your own ideas, which could bolster your argument and give your proposals a better chance of being approved. Instead of bristling, welcome questions with open arms.

8. Stop Jumping to Conclusions: You call yourself decisive, but others would call you impulsive. While overthinking every situation could slow you down, not thinking at all before you speak or act can mean overlooking the potential consequences. Try to tame your kneejerk reactions, by taking just a few moments to cool down and think about how your response might be perceived by others.

9. It’s Okay to Be Wrong: You associate making mistakes with weakness, but nobody can be right all the time. Refusing to admit that you might have made an error or might not fully understand something, doesn’t make you look smarter; it often does the opposite. People who don’t acknowledge their errors appear not to know they have made them.

10. Celebrate the Achievements of Others: When others around you succeed, it can feel like it’s hurting your own chances for success. The praise others receive sometimes makes you feel invisible. But you might be overlooking how your colleagues’ successes contribute to your team’s overall growth. Instead of resenting their achievements, appreciate the way their stellar performance inspires you to up your game.

It’s never fun to admit that you might be the source of your own problems, but taking responsibility for your own workplace attitude is an essential step to overcoming those hurdles. Don’t beat yourself up. Instead, take an honest look at yourself and your interactions with others, and make a list of areas you’d like to improve. Write down tangible actions you can take to avoid being viewed as having a bad attitude at work in the future. You may even want to ask your coworkers how they perceive you. While their impressions may be hard to hear, their outside perspective is likely to offer insight into behaviors you weren’t even aware of. Understanding the problem is the first step toward being able to fix it.

Resilience is a skill that teaches you to transform obstacles into opportunities. It helps you to see one rejection as a small part of a bigger picture: your career. Here are four methods you can try to help you build resilience. Developing this trait is an ongoing process, but at Cydcor, we recognize its importance for both new and experienced salespeople.

Celebrate Your Gifts

Resilience takes practice. To develop a resilient personality, you need to celebrate your gifts. What are you good at doing? What activities or tasks do you do that earn praise? Write these moments down and refer to them when you’re facing a struggle.

Strengthen Your Networks

Reaching out to your network provides a fresh perspective when you’re trying to understand how to solve a problem. Your contacts can provide positive professional and personal feedback needed to strengthen your resilience. They can also encourage and inspire you to try again, which is what resilient people always do.

Do Something About It

A resilient person takes action when they encounter a problem. Don’t get lost in negativity. Examine your situation and find ways to improve your performance. For example, if your customers need more time to make a purchasing decision, come up with a few options that identify customers with similar purchasing cycles. This strategy allows you to focus on when people are ready to buy.

Take Care of Yourself

Resilience is easier to access when your body and mind are in top condition. Eat healthy food, exercise, get enough sleep, and stay hydrated. Take regular mental breaks during the day to reduce stress and strengthen your focus. Think of resilience as a muscle. You’ve got to train it and give it rest in order to build and maintain strength that will last you for the long haul.

Resilient people control their situations and depend on their skills, not luck, to move forward in their profession. They’re able to maintain steady progress on their career path even when they face obstacles along the way and develop strategies that help them to maintain a positive outlook.

What strategies do you use that show your resilience? Share your thoughts on Twitter and be sure to follow @Cydcor on Instagram to learn more about our company and our culture.

We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.

Austin, TX is Cydcor’s destination for this year’s Keys to Success event! Held annually, Keys to Success is an opportunity for our company to define this year's business goals. Keys to Success also helps to create excitement for the year ahead, and reinforces the best practices in our business, as well as opportunities to earn recognition. Cydcor is pleased to host both the residential Keys to Success and the B2B & Retail events from January 26^th – 31^st, 2016. This is the first time in Keys to Success history that there will be two events instead of one!

What makes Austin the perfect place to host #KTS2016? For starters, it’s the state capital of Texas and is the 11^th most populous city in the country. It’s also the fastest growing of the 50 largest cities in the U.S. Here are a few other fun facts about this vibrant city:

The Texas State Capitol building is huge! Standing 311 feet from the ground, it’s taller than the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. It contains 392 rooms, 118 vaults, 924 windows, and 404 doors. Built from 1882-1888, the architecture remains impressive even by today’s standards.

Austin loves music and entertainment and boasts over 100 live music venues throughout the city. The Austin City Limits music festival is one of its most famous events. Over three days, more than 130 musical acts get together to play live in the beautiful Zilker Park. Austin is also known for South by Southwest, an annual festival of film, interactive media, and music. Past acts have included The Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Kanye West, and Lady Gaga.

Like every fast-growing city, there is a few famous people from Austin. Notable celebrities born here include Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock, R&B singer Ciara, legendary journalist and TV anchor Walter Cronkite, hip-hop recording artist Nelly, and NFL quarterback Drew Brees.

Here is a fact about Austin you probably didn’t know: living under the Congress Avenue Bridge are close to 1.5 million bats! That is the biggest urban bat colony in North America!

Throw those horns up! Austin is home to the Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Football Stadium, home to the University of Texas Longhorns. With a seating capacity of over 100,000 people, it is the biggest football stadium in Texas and the eighth largest football stadium in the United States!

Interested in expanding your horizons while taking in Austin’s many sights? The city is home to many renowned museums like the Bullock Texas State History Museum, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, and the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum.

Did you know that Austin also has an awesome food scene?  Breakfast tacos are one of the most popular foods in the city, and many people travel to the city just to try them. Be sure to stop by the local-recommended Veracruz All Natural to get your breakfast taco fix! Stop by Pieous for some delicious pizza, or La Barbecue for some good southern grilling. And don’t forget Gourdough’s “Blueballs”—delicious blueberry donuts covered in blue frosting—for dessert!

Are you excited for Keys to Success 2016? We know we are! Tweet us your favorite fun fact from above with #KTS2016, and follow the latest news and announcements regarding the event on Cydcor’s Facebook and Instagram!

Cydcor is happy to announce two selfie contests that will be held during our next big event, Keys to Success 2015 in Dallas, TX! ICL owners attending the event will have the opportunity to submit a selfie on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #KTS2015. Entries will automatically be entered into a drawing for $100 cash!

Cydcor invites all attending ICL owners to enter the contest. If a group photo is picked as a winner, the ICL owner who posts the image will be awarded the prize. Winners will be announced on Cydcor’s Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/CydcorLLC) as well as Cydcor’s Instagram (@Cydcor) by 9:00 P.M. CST on Friday and Saturday. Be sure to follow Cydcor’s Facebook page for additional information regarding all the fun taking place at Keys to Success 2015.

The first contest will run from Friday, February 6th from 6:00 AM CST until 9:00 P.M. CST. The second contest will run from Saturday, February 7th, 2015 at 6:00 AM CST, until 9:00 P.M. CST. Winners will be announced at 9:30 P.M. CST on both days.

See you in Dallas for #KTS2015!

Terms and Conditions

Post a selfie on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #KTS2015 on Friday and Saturday and you will be automatically entered in the daily Keys to Success Selfie contest.  To be eligible, entrants must be (i) at least 18 years of age and (ii) registrant attending Cydcor’s Keys to Success 2015(Cydcor employees are not eligible). Multiple submissions per participant are allowed. Profanity or inappropriate language or images, as determined by Cydcor, in its sole discretion, will be disqualified. One $100 cash non-transferrable award will be provided onsite at the event. First contest begins Friday, February 6th, 2015 at 6:00 AM CST and ends same day at 9:00 P.M., CST. Second contest begins Saturday February 7th, 2015 from 6:00 AM CST until 9:00 P.M. CST. The winners will be selected by Cydcor, in its sole discretion, and announced via Cydcor’s Facebook page at 9:30 P.M. CST. This promotional offer is not intended to create a partnership, joint venture, co-ownership or other association between Cydcor and the participant.

This promotion does not have a connection with Facebook in any way and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. By entering the contest, participants agree to fully release Facebook from any and all liability.

Cydcor’s annual ‘Keys to Success’ event is almost here for 2015! Every year, Cydcor and its network of independent sales companies and leaders come together to build on their excellent business skills, jump-start the year with new relationships and ideas, and recognize top performers.

To spark up our excitement, Cydcor is pleased to announce a special contest for the Keys to Success attendees on the Cydcor Facebook page! To enter, all you have to do is head over to Cydcor’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/CydcorLLC) and share your best and original “Keys to Success” in seven words or less. The prize is a $25 gift card to Starbucks!  The winner will be chosen by Cydcor and based on the best response.

To win, you must be a Keys to Success 2015 registered attendee (Cydcor employees are not eligible). Multiple comments per entrant will be allowed. The contest begins at 12:00 PM PST on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 and runs through Sunday, January 25, 2015.  The winner will be picked by Cydcor, and announced on Cydcor’s Facebook page on Monday, January 26, 2015.

By providing its clients access to professional sales teams, Cydcor continues to grow as the leader in professional outsourced sales worldwide.

Terms and Conditions

Valid entries are comments that caption the related post on Cydcor’s Facebook page.  To be eligible, entrants must be (i) at least 18 years of age and (ii) a primary registrant attending Cydcor’s Keys to Success event (primary registrants’ guests and Cydcor employees are not eligible). Multiple comments per participant are allowed. Profanity or inappropriate language, as determined by Cydcor, in its sole discretion, will be disqualified. One $25 Starbucks non-transferrable gift card will be awarded onsite at the event. Contest begins at 12:00 PM, PST on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 and ends at 11:59 PM, PST on Sunday, January 25, 2015. The winner will be selected by Cydcor, in its sole discretion, and announced via Cydcor’s Facebook page on Monday, January 26, 2015.  This promotional offer is not intended to create a partnership, joint venture, co-ownership or other association between Cydcor and the participant.

This promotion does not have a connection with Facebook in any way and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. By entering the contest, participants agree to fully release Facebook from any and all liability.

Back to Basics was Cydcor's theme for the 2014 Keys to Success conference in San Antonio, Texas last weekend. Cydcor holds the Keys to Success event every year as an annual kick off. The meeting announced awards and promotions for Cydcor team members, and recognized achievers in our network of independently owned sales companies. Cydcor team members and other sales professionals got the opportunity to network and see the sights in San Antonio.
The Back to Basics Conference for Cydcor reviewed what it takes to be successful in the sales and marketing business. Inspirational stories on staying persistent and effective at work was shared across tables and on stage.  Guest speakers encouraged sales teams to stick with it, take care of your people and never give up.

Cydcor had a great time in Texas and the team is looking forward to a great year!