Attitude is the very basis from which springs the preparedness to face life’s challenges. If we have a defeatist attitude, we will invite defeat. If we have an attitude for success, we will invite success.

So how do we develop an attitude of success? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Surround yourself with people who feel good about themselves.
These are the ones with a positive attitude. Negative- minded people will pull you down and then leave you cluttered on the wayside. Positive-minded people will pull you up, reveal your hidden potentials and make you success-minded. Be infected by them.

2. Always seek to step up.
Ever heard of a mediocre success? There is no such thing! Success is always a step higher than mediocre. Seek always to step up from where you are. Hone your skills. Always seek to be better at who you are and what you do. Never rest on your laurels. Life is a continuous ladder; there is always a rung higher from where you are.

3. Look for opportunities in every challenge.
Do not allow yourself to succumb to negative feelings when you find yourself in a difficult situation. Challenges are there to spur you to think, to act, to connect with others, to motivate you. Food for thought: When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

4. Learn, learn, learn.
Some wise old soul once said, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground, and it’s called Alzheimer’s disease.” That may not be totally true, but there is a point to it. Our minds need to be fed; and let me stress this: not with junk! But with food that will bring out the creativity and potential of our minds. The road to success for many has been paved with brilliant ideas learned and then put into effect.

5. Be of service.
Help others be successful and they will help you succeed. On the ladder of success, push the one above you towards the top and pull the ones below you. If you pull down the ones above you, there will be no room to move farther up. What is worse, if you pull the one above you and he falls, he might take you along with him.

It may not take overnight to build an attitude for success. It’s a process. However, when you begin the process, you might well discover that success is just around the corner.

The first thing to do is to identify a deficiency in the business or institution where you could highlight your particular skills. In particular you should look for areas where supervisors have significant problems that do not look like they will be solved in the immediate future. You will make more of an impression if you solve an intractable problem they have rather than one that only affects you.

Develop a plan and seek support for your methods. This doesn’t have to involve a cost. In fact, it is better if you can propose a solution that is cost neutral, or even better, one that will provide cost savings.

If the solution doesn’t work, look for other opportunities to follow. On the other hand, if it is successful you need to broadcast this to others, particularly those who are likely to make decisions regarding your career. This should be done in a timely fashion because there are usually many others who will take the credit for your work if you don’t do so.

When presenting the solution it is useful to spend a lot of time in preparation. For example, you may be tempted to put a few boring PowerPoint slides together to showcase the work. This will cause an impression, but perhaps not the one you want. It may give the impression that you are not prepared to put in the time and effort to make a professional presentation. Take your time and look at other good examples. Try to reduce words and include more images. Research has shown that visually exciting presentations are remembered longer than simple bullet points.

Another important way to make an impression is with your attitude. There are many things you are going to be critical about in your workplace. It is acceptable to make your criticisms in a professional manner by identifying issues. However, some people are tempted to include personal attacks in this context, particularly when using email. Try to avoid this. Remember that supervisors are looking to promote staff that tends to be providers of solutions rather than those who create problems.

The following are some guidelines and tips to help you to get that next promotion.

Tip #1 – Make sure you master the basics. You know, come in to work on time, don’t leave until it’s time for you to leave, come back from your break and lunch on time, etc. No one is going to consider you for additional responsibility and additional pay if you can’t even master your current responsibilities and do these basic things to perform satisfactory in your current job.

Tip #2 – Look for opportunities to go beyond your job description. Sticking to your standard job description and not being willing to do extra is a surefire way to make sure you stay in your current job. If you want to get promoted, you need to look for opportunities to do more than what you are currently hired to do. For example, do you see additional tasks that need to be done, but no one is doing it? Ask your boss if it would be ok for you to do the task.

Tip #3 – Talk to people who currently have the job you want and find out what they would recommend for you to do to get that job. There is no one better to tell you how to get promoted to the job you want than a person who has already reached the level you are looking to get to. Ask them how they got the job, what experience and positions they held prior to, etc.

Tip #4 – Find out how “hard and fast” your company looks at educational requirements and meet the minimum educational requirements if necessary. Each company is different in terms of how they view educational requirements. Some companies won’t even consider your application if you don’t meet the minimum education requirements. Other companies will factor in relevant experience if the educational requirements aren’t met. Find out which approach your company takes and if you need to go back to school to get the necessary education, do it.

Tip #5 – Apply for the position you want with another company. Sometimes your company simply doesn’t appreciate what you have to offer. Other times, your company may simply not have enough positions available in order for you to fill the position you want. In any case, it may be necessary for you to go to another company to get the position you want.

By following these five tips, this will help increase the likelihood of you receiving that next promotion.