The 25-Year Harvard Study

Recently I came across a 25-year study by Harvard on the subject of success. All of us are interested in being successful and it got my attention, but more importantly were their findings. What they concluded was that 85% of the reason for success was because of one's attitude and only 15% was because of technical expertise.

In People Raising, I caution people to be very careful of their negative attitude. It's so easy for us to think from a negative perspective and begin to draw conclusions that might not necessarily be true about our prospects and donors. Our negative attitude can lead us down a path where we think of all the reasons why people should not give to our ministry or why they could not give large amounts of money. Be careful this week, as you undertake your ministry as a fundraiser, that a negative attitude does not control you. When it comes to your donors and prospects, let them make the decision to give or not give to your ministry. Don't you make that decision for them.