“Your mental attitude is something you can control outright, and you must use self-discipline until you create a positive mental attitude – your mental attitude attracts you to everything that makes you what you are.”
– Napoleon Hill
How we think is critical. Our mind controls everything in our lives. Our beliefs control our thoughts our focus. Our thoughts control our feelings – our fears, uncertainty, doubts, suspicions, hopes, desires. Our feelings control the actions, and the actions that we make lead us to our results. It really is that simple. So please ask yourself, what are you thinking about today?
Throughout my nine years as owner of The Growth Coach of Sioux Falls, I’ve often heard leaders express negative thoughts about how things are going or how they are looking. And these thoughts happen in our personal lives as well.
Last fall, I was coaching a girls fast pitch softball team. I tuned my ears into what the girls were saying, and I commonly heard things like “I just can’t hit,” “I’m using the wrong part of the bat” or “I just did horribly.” After hearing those consistent negative statements, it was pretty clear why we were having negative results. I asked a few of the girls to do themselves a favor. Instead of saying to themselves” I can’t” or “I hope I don’t,” I wanted them to think and say out loud that “I can” and “I will” have great success. I even asked one of the most serious and competitive players to smile. She did, and her smile truly changed the energy she felt inside. When these teenagers started having empowering thoughts as opposed to very limiting beliefs, they became successful.
Take a moment to ask yourself what you think about. Are you thinking about your dreams and how to achieve them, or are you thinking about your fears? Remember, the acronym for fear is False Expectations Appearing Real. Ninety-seven percent of our fears never happen, yet we often allow them to devour us.
I often share with my Growth Coach clients an audio clip from the original “dean of personal development,” Earl Nightingale, and his message about “The Strangest Secret.” He boiled down the secret to success into a simple statement: “You become what you think about.” Your dominant thoughts, which produce your feelings, determine your actions, which lead to where you are right now.
So again, let me ask you what you are thinking about. Success or failure? Opportunities or obstacles? Thinking about yesterday or looking forward to tomorrow? Your blessings or your burdens? Everything you think about sets off a chain reaction that affects your results. Your thoughts are ridiculously powerful. Discipline yourself to control them.
A few times a day, adjust the dialogue in your head to better ensure that you don’t let your mind take you to the places that you don’t want to go.
You become what you think about. What do you want to become? Challenge yourself right now and commit!!!
Sara Tims, co-owner of Christoffels Hair Replacement has some positive things to share:
