Industrial research has discovered that there are six reasons why people quit going to business establishments. Check it out, it’s interesting.

See how your attitude affects the business, even if your product is great. Christians are called to exhibit a positive attitude in all our walks of life, because our God is the one who majors in doing the impossible. He is a positive God, who operates by His own standards.

People in general don’t like to associate with those who are unhappy, unfulfilled, critical, argumentative, sarcastic and pessimistic. Paul even counsels the Christian to turn away from such people. Your attitude is contagious and it breeds confidence or despair.

You attitude is seen by all the people without saying a word. Though the roots of your attitude are hidden, but the fruits of your attitude are always visible. Your attitude either will draw people to you or repels people from you. Your attitude will determine the quality of your relationship with your God, your parents, friends, colleagues, and employer.

In the book of numbers [13,14] we read about the story of Moses sending the 12 spies to spy the land of promise. For forty days these twelve men spied out the people and the land. All of them were sent out with the same instructions, but they returned with conflicting accounts. How could this happen? Easy. Each man reported his opinions from his own point of view, and most of them were negative. If they started out negative, they came back negative. If they started out positive, they came back positive. [Read Numbers 13:28, 32-33] Negative guys couldn’t come up with one good thing to say about their own people, only about the impressive size and strength of the enemy. They had an agenda: to give a bad report about the promise land and to get the rest of the crowd on their side.

Negative attitude is fueled by negative emotions.
Fear: "we’re scared, they are bigger and stronger. Let’s not try it."
Selfishness:"This doesn’t work for us. It’s too hard, and we’re not willing to make the sacrifice."
Insecurity:"We’re too small. We’re like grasshoppers, and they are like giants."

Negative emotions lead to negative behavior.
Numbers 14:1-4 tells us how the fear took control of Israelites emotions, and they cried like babies. The selfishness took center stage and started to rule with complaining. Insecurity led them to imagine the worst, even to the point of complete exaggeration. These ten men were chosen as leaders to represent their individual tribes, but they were classic grasshopper thinkers; makes lots of noise, be small in thought, and have no direction or goal but self.

Going against the culture
It was easy to be part of that negative crowd that day. You could blend right in and give a few grunts, and no one would bother. But positive guys had a different spirit. Two guys out of the twelve, two guys out of the mob who did not accept the negative report, two guys of a different spirit stepped forward and stepped into history.
"The Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said," let us go at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.[Numbers 13:30]
"Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for we are well able to overcome it."[Numbers 14:9]
Joshua and Caleb were courageous and they stood against the other ten spies. Listen to what they said about the Amalekites, "They are our bread"-or as we might say, "We’ll eat them for lunch." Joshua and Caleb believed in a big God, One who keeps His promises, One who has the power to do whatever needs to be done. Joshua kept the memory in his mind and heart of the day Moses told him," God is giving us this land," and he held on to that promise as absolute faith

Focus on the promise already received, Joshua received God’s promise as a young guy, and he held on to it as a focused goal throughout his life. He developed the habit of optimism as a young man, and the result was positive report just when it was needed.

Focus on the truth, not on the opinion of the crowd. They refused to listen to the negative gossip. They did not reason or fret or pick apart the negative report. They just stepped up to the front and gave a positive, good report.

Practice faithfulness on a daily basis. [Exodus 33:11] Joshua spent his young life learning from the great leadership of Moses. This life long commitment to faithful life prepared Joshua for the day when he would be called upon to give a good report and stand against the crowd.

Demonstrate courage in your leadership. [Numbers 14:9]

General Norman Schwarzkopf said "The quickest way to be defeated is to be distracted" Don’t buy into the negative reports you hear around and perish like the rest of the Israelites. The land of promise is waiting those who will rise in the arms of hope and finish strong.

Multiply the length of your vision times the width of your commitment times the height of your conviction. The result is the volume of your influence.