Are you blaming circumstances or others for your lack of success? Are you blind to the overlooked obvious? Many people just can’t see what the true problem to their success is? Are you one of them?

I’ll never forget a conversation I had several months ago with a waitress who worked at a restaurant my husband and I would often visit. We were on a weekly date, something that we’ve done for years, and decided to have a burger. Well, whenever we go to this certain place there’s always a line inside and outside waiting to get in. And, that was the case this particular night.

After we were seated, I struck up a conversation with the waitress. “Wow,” I said, “You guys are really packed.”

“Actually, not really! It’s been really slow tonight,” she answered.

“Really? You think so?”

“Oh, yes! The economy… People just aren’t going out anymore.”

I looked around, and of course, the restaurant was jam-packed, like it is normally. Then I looked at her. Somehow this woman had been blinded by what she had heard about the economy. She had been deafened by the words and voices of mediocrity that said, “The economy is bad and people won’t be going out anymore or spending money.” Unfortunately for her, she believed this report and began repeating what she heard verbally and non-verbally.

The truth was that the place was at capacity, and then some! It was as though the economy was thriving, if just for that restaurant!

But was it thriving for her? Definitely, not! In fact, I can guarantee that because she put a little damper on our meal (and I’m sure others also), this affected the tip she received that night.

Our waitress made the mistake that afflicts the majority of the population—the 98% attitude! She believed that the economy was so bad that people had stopped going out and spending money. She also believed that she will eventually lose her job. In essence, all she had to do was to really open her eyes and see the obvious—the economy had not affected her workplace! It was as packed as it had ever been before.

It was her attitude that had been affected. Her thoughts and words were in sync with that of the majority, and she had succumbed to the 98% attitude, which affected her job performance. She took to heart the bad reports coming in, which blinded and deafened her to the reality of her bustling workplace. As a result, tips will certainly dry up and her job may certainly be lost. But “the economy” is not the culprit; it’s her 98% attitude. She’s the one driving business away and putting her own job in jeopardy!

The sad thing is that she won’t see her contribution to her dilemma. And that’s a major issue with the majority of the population. They hear the bad news, see the struggle, internalize it, and then begin acting it out.

“Oh, no! What’s going to happen to me?”

“I hope I don’t lose my job.”

“Oh, man! I hope my business is not affected.”

“There goes my retirement!”

Who speaks like this? The 98%! Their voices encourage blindness, fear and panic.

Turn a deaf ear to them and begin working with all you have. Never allow outside forces to dictate your perceptions and judgments. Otherwise, they can have devastating effects on your attitude and job performance.