The Power Of Positive Thoughts

Is it possible that the world’s greatest achievers think completely differently from the majority of people?

Do you think the Wright brothers could ever have achieved what they did if they hadn’t believed it could be done? Was Mark Spitz’s seven gold medals in swimming a result of thoughts such as “I can’t do this”?

Have you ever thought that success in any chosen subject, such as financial, business or sporting, could be, and was, achieved whilst the individual was in a state of negativity (i.e. they had thoughts that they couldn’t achieve what they wanted)?

Positive thinking will help you to get past any challenge or obstacle in your life. Having a negative mindset closes your mind to possibilities, whereas a positive mindset helps you to keep an open mind, which will help you to find solutions to a problem you’re facing, or help you to look for the positives in an event that may at first seem negative.

One of the biggest problems we face in modern society is that we are constantly surrounded by negativity and fear. This comes from a variety of sources including the news, social media and the people around us.

I’ve been in the company of negative thinkers, and if you don’t already know, I can tell you that their influence, if allowed to go unchecked, is very powerful and destructive. Imagine it’s like placing a piece of rotting fruit in a bowl of fresh fruit – the fresh fruit soon starts to rot simply by being next to the rotting fruit.

This is why it is paramount that if you want to be successful in life, you must surround yourself with positive thinking individuals, and to share your positive thoughts and attitudes with like-minded people.

It’s just as important to keep your thoughts positive when you’re alone, and you don’t have the influence of positive people around you. One of the simplest ways you can do this is to write your goals down and place them in a position where you can see and read them on a daily basis. By regularly reminding yourself of, and thinking about, your goals, you’re giving your mind something positive to focus on.

Writing down your goals has also been shown to have a positive impact on your likelihood of achieving them. In the late 1950’s, 1,500 students of Yale University were sent a questionnaire with topics ranging from the quality of food being served in the canteen to how easy it was to get books out of the library. However, it’s the last two questions that are of interest to us. These questions were:

• “Do you have an ambition in your life?”

• “Have you written it down?”

Twenty-five years later, after discovering the existence of the questionnaires, a postgraduate student decided to carry out further research on these last two questions. The postgraduate student found that over 75% of the students who completed the questionnaire had ambitions for their lives. However, only 3.3% of the students (51 of them) had actually written their ambitions down.

After tracking down as many of the 51 students as he could, he found that most of them had gone on to realise their dreams in their chosen professions. The remaining students he'd managed to contact told him that most of what they had achieved had happened more by chance than design. They had ended up in careers that they hadn’t planned for because they didn’t define what it was that they were actually seeking to do.

These results show us two things:

1. Writing down our goals and dreams helps us to actively program our subconscious to go after what we want in life.

2. The more specific we are about our goals and dreams, the more accurately we’ll achieve them.

Now that you know the importance of keeping your thoughts positive by having clearly defined goals and surrounding yourself with positive people, what changes can you make to your daily life to help you live a more fulfilling, joyful and purposeful life?

Use The 5-Second Rule To Take Control Of Your Brain

 

In this video, author, podcast host and motivational speaker, Mel Robbins, gives you a simple, yet effective, technique for getting control of your brain and eliminating procrastination and doubt.

Our brains are designed to keep us away from the things that we find uncomfortable or difficult. In order to do all the things that we know we want to do with our lives, with our work, with our dreams, we’re going to have to do things that are difficult, uncertain or scary.

Mel Robbins asked herself why it was so hard to do the little things that she knew would improve her life. She realised that it all starts with a habit that most people have - the habit of hesitating.

When we hesitate, that micro-moment of hesitation sends a stress signal to our brain. It wakes our brain up and our brain starts to wonder why we’re hesitating, so it thinks that something must be wrong, so our brain goes to work to protect us.

So, how do you get out of your head and stop thinking about what you need to do, and actually do it?

Every human being has a five-second window in which they can move from idea to action before their brain kicks into full gear and sabotages any change in behaviour.

The five-second rule, counting down from 5 to 1 and taking action on the ‘1’, is so effective because it interrupts habit loops that get encoded as closed loop patterns in your brain.

When you understand the power of a five-second decision, and you understand that you always have a choice to go from autopilot to decision maker, everything in your life will change.

“Change comes down to five second decisions”

- Mel Robbins

Stop Waiting On Your Life

 

Earlier this week I had to phone the bank. Whilst I was sitting on the phone waiting to get through to someone to speak to, I kept thinking of all the things that I could be doing whilst I was sitting there – just waiting, not living my life.

Are you living your life “on hold”?

Are you waiting for the ‘right person’ to come along? Do you find yourself waiting for the motivation to get your home or garage organised? Are you waiting for the perfect job to fall into your lap? Are you waiting to win the lottery for your financial independence? Stop waiting on your life! The only difference between you and the people who are getting what they want, is that they kept moving and you didn’t. Here are some ideas to help get you started again:

1. Focus on the ‘who you are’, not the ‘what you want’

If you find you’ve been stuck on a goal for a while, try restarting it in a “who I am” terms instead of “what I want” terms. For example, instead of saying “I want to lose 30 lbs”, say something like “I am someone who takes care of themselves by keeping my weight around [your ideal weight].”

Be as specific as possible. For example, if you want to help others, be specific on how you want to help them. If you simply say “I want to be someone who helps others'', this could mean anything from being a cashier in a supermarket to a heart surgeon – both roles help others.

Focus on who you want to be. Ask yourself what actions would fit with your desire “to be'' instead of “get”, and then live ‘as if’ you were that type of person by taking the actions they would.

2. Analyse it

Did you know that a full 80% of your problems come from 20% of your life? It’s true!  Determine what that 20% is that’s affecting so much of your life, and start working to make it happier, more efficient and more satisfying. By analysing and making changes in the 20% of your life that’s causing you the most of your problems, you’ll make the biggest changes in the way you live your life.

3. Assign value to things

A big mistake people often make is not assigning a true value to their resources - their time, their energy, their money, and to the space around them. Realise that for each thing you say yes to – such as a new jacket or scrolling through social media - you’ve said no to something else, such as saving towards a new car or working on one of your goals. Constantly question what you're doing and the value of the things in your life – keep evaluating how you spend your money, your time, your attention and your energy. Regularly ask yourself “is this valuable enough to me for it to be in my life, or even to push out something else from my life?” Regularly evaluating how you spend your resources (your time, money, skills and effort) will help you to focus on how you can best spend them to live the life that you truly want.

6 Tips For Developing A Motivated Mindset

 

From time to time, we will all find ourselves stuck in a rut of boredom and disinterest. We seem to lose our zest for life and feel tired, irritable and unmotivated. We’d rather hide under the covers than face the day ahead. Maybe you're feeling overwhelmed by work, or sad about the pain and suffering in the world, or just bored with the routine of your daily life.

If you’re currently feeling unmotivated, don’t worry, you’re not alone. We all go through periods like this at some point in our lives. The good news is that you can do something about it. Here are 6 tips to help you break out of the rut and start to feel excited about life again:

1. Take a "Time Out"

Prolonged pressure and stress can wear us down and zap any enthusiasm that we have. Before doing anything else, take a few minutes to breathe and just simply BE. Sit quietly, take slow, deep breaths and let all of your muscles relax. Focus on your breathing and empty your mind of all stress and worry. Whilst this sounds easy, it does take practice, so don't give up if at first you find it difficult to release the stress and negative thoughts. As thoughts come into your mind, don’t focus on them, instead recognise that they’ve come into your mind and just let them go. If you’re struggling to let your thoughts go, imagine that they’re being blown away by a gentle breeze or that they’re tied to a balloon and they’re drifting off into the sky. Try to do this at least once a day. It’s good to do this when you’re not feeling stressed or anxious, as it will seem easier and will help you to put this technique into practice when you do start to feel stressed or anxious. We need quiet time as much as we need anything else in our lives. Give yourself the gift of inner peace.

2. Get Inspired

When we’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed by our lives, it’s easy to forget our goals, dreams and all the other things that gives us inspiration and raise our spirits. Take time out to read something motivational, inspirational or uplifting. Find something that fits into the time that you have – if you’re short of time, reading an inspirational quote can make a big difference to your mindset. Try looking at some photos of beautiful natural landscapes, or read or watch something funny. With these techniques, you’re consciously moving your thoughts to a more positive place. Focusing on nothing but work and our daily tasks in life can leave us feeling pretty uninspired, deflated and depressed. With conscious effort, it can be easy to turn it around if we want to. We just have to seek out things that will lift our spirits and our mood. Make it a point to laugh, be happy, joyful and light-hearted every day. Don't wait for inspiration to come to you, go out and find it, or create it. Conjure up some funny or touching memories. Write them in a journal so you can go back and read them when you're feeling down.

3. Get Excited

Think about the things you have planned for the day, and rekindle the enthusiasm you once felt for them. When we first start a new project, or a new job, we’re excited about the possibilities and eager to get moving! Over time, we can lose that enthusiasm for a variety of reasons. Pause for a moment, and travel back in time, and think about what got you so excited at the beginning. What made your heart beat a little faster? Recapture that feeling and hang onto it! Even if your tasks aren't anything to be really excited about, think of some positive benefits to doing them. For example, if you’re finding your job to be boring or stressful, list the ways they will benefit you, other people and other causes. Identify who will benefit and how, and the difference that you’re making in the world, and focus on that. Even mundane tasks have benefits. Sometimes it's just a matter of switching our mindset to see the positive side. Knowing that what we’re doing has a purpose can help us to raise our interest and appreciation of the task.

4. Take Baby Steps

Sometimes the hardest part of anything we do is actually just to get started. We can feel so overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead of us that we become stuck at the first hurdle – getting started! Instead of getting yourself worked up about the amount of work and effort ahead of you, start small. Set a timer for 15 minutes and just start working on whatever it is you’re trying to do. Allow yourself to stop after 15 minutes if you really want to. Most often, however, once you actually start working on something, you find that you won't want to stop. If you struggle with the thought of doing it for 15 minutes, set a timer for 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or even just 1 minute! Anything to just get you started. Don't focus on the big picture, focus on the smaller details and take them on one at a time. Any large task seems manageable once you break it down into smaller steps.

5. Take Care of your Body

Sometimes our feelings of fatigue and lethargy can be caused by physical deficiencies, not mental. Make sure you’re taking the basic steps to looking after your health: get enough rest, eat food that nourishes your body, drink enough water, get enough exercise, and so on. This is especially important when you're very busy. When we’re busy and stressed, we tend to grab the quickest, easiest meals, which aren't always the best choice for our bodies, and we end up sleeping less and not making the time for exercise.

Your body is the vehicle for the mind and soul. And just like your car, you need to ensure you put the optimum fuel into it and maintain it regularly to ensure that it runs smoothly and effectively.

6. Reward Yourself

Remember to reward yourself from time to time. Buy the treats for yourself, do the things you love and spend your time how you want to. There will always be things that ’need’ to be done. It’s easy in modern life for us to take on far more than we can handle, and to try to please all the people who are asking for our attention. Unfortunately, this can result in our lives turning into a pit of drudgery and depression because of it. Identify the things that don’t truly bring you joy, and try to eliminate them from your life, or at least minimise the time you spend on them. Do what you can, and let the rest go. Ask for help if you need to. Don't feel that you have to do everything yourself. Taking the time to stop and think about all the things that you’re trying to do can help you to identify what you can do, what you can delegate to someone else, and what you can drop all together.

Remember that motivation, just like happiness, is something that we choose. We may need to give ourselves a little push at the beginning, but once we get into the right mindset, it's simple to stay there if we choose to. Practice the simple tips above regularly, and start to reduce the amount of boredom, drudgery and stress in your daily life.

3 Inspirational Life Stories From Steve Jobs

In this video, the late business magnate, inventor and early pioneer of the personal computer revolution, Steve Jobs shares three stories from his life that helped shape his views, and which helped him to achieve what he did.

Story 1: Connect the Dots

Much of what Steve Jobs stumbled into by following his curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Whilst it may be impossible to connect the dots looking forward, it can be very clear looking backwards. You have to trust that it will all work out okay and that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.

Story 2: Love and Loss

Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. When it seems like you've lost everything, focus on what you love and trust that all will come good. If you love what you're doing, it can help you to keep going when the times get tough. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied, is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work, is to love what you do. If you haven't found what you love to do yet, keep looking. And don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

Story 3: Death

When Steve Jobs was 17, he read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right". That quote made an impression on him, and since then, he looked in the mirror every morning and asked himself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer was "No" for too many days in a row, he knew he needed to change something. Remembering that you'll be dead soon can be the most important tool you'll ever encounter to help you make the big choices in life. Almost all fears and embarrassments fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become”

- Steve Jobs

Mind Of A Champion

 

“To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are”

- Muhammad Ali

How many times have you heard a true champion speak with doubt? I’m guessing that the answer to that question would likely be "never!", because doubt will knock you down and out before you even begin.

The people that are remembered are always those that performed notably during times of pressure. Anyone who has played competitive sports knows that there is a different feeling during an important and major game or event, but as with everything in life, that, by itself, isn’t a bad thing. It’s all in the way you handle it.

If you let self-doubt enter your mind, anxiety is sure to grow. Once you start to doubt whether you’re capable of winning, you’re on your way to disaster because the mind can only hold one thought at a time. You’re either thinking of winning, and visualising what winning will be like, or you’re worrying about what will happen if you don’t win. You can only hold one picture in your mind at a time.

What the mind sees, feels, and thinks, it works towards. The mind needs to be given direction, and then it works towards making that given destination a reality. Your mind is constantly working towards results. The trouble lies in what directions you’re giving it. When you learn how to control your mind, you can achieve greatness. Learning how to think like a winner is the first step towards becoming a winner.

With a greater degree of awareness of your environment and your thoughts, you can start to control what comes into your mind. By watching informative and empowering videos and documentaries, reading empowering and informative books and articles, and surrounding yourself with people who think positively, you can better control what you let into your mind. The saying “garbage in, garbage out” is so true when it comes to what you watch and listen to.

But it isn’t just about paying attention to what you put into your mind, it’s also important to pay attention to your thoughts.

When a negative thought enters your mind, clean it out with a flood of positive images. Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Focus on winning and success, not on losing and failure. Begin to daydream and make this daydream your ideal outcome.

Are You Feeling Stuck? Consider Changing Your focus!

 

If you sometimes feel as though you’re caught in life’s quicksand and you’re going nowhere, then you’re not alone!

We work, we struggle, we try to do everything we possibly can to make our lives better, but sometimes it seems like the harder we work, the more stuck we get. If you’re approaching a high level of frustration, consider giving the following approach a try:

Switch your focus from what you’re trying to achieve and your frustrations, and move it to the people and other causes that you’re helping.

It’s important to put yourself first. You can’t look after others if you don’t first look after yourself. You need to be healthy, happy and financially secure. You need to set goals, put plans in place to achieve them and then take the necessary actions to at least make some progress toward your goals.

However, what can often happen is that we can become so over focused on ourselves, our goals and our own personal wellbeing that we end up not being able to see the bigger picture and the possibilities that life presents to us. We become so focused on “me” that we sometimes begin scrutinising even the most insignificant events in our lives to determine how they can potentially affect us. We end up becoming victims to ourselves. We sometimes just become so busy being busy, that we lose track of where we thought we wanted our lives to end up in the first place.

By changing your focus from “me” to “others”, and becoming a giver instead of a receiver, you start to get a view of what you can bring to the world, and how you can contribute positively to the lives of other people and the things that are important to you.

Here’s how you can change your focus, without having to change what you’re doing:

No matter what you do to earn a living or what you want to achieve in your life, somewhere down the line someone or something will likely benefit from what you’re doing. Really think about this. Although you may not see it immediately or directly, the work that you do has a reason and a desired end result.

Our activities and work generally reflect a more positive endeavour. That leads us back to how we can change our focus when we’re feeling stuck.

If you feel like you’re caught in life’s quicksand, take a few minutes to really think about the people or other causes that will benefit, be healthier or happier because of what you’re doing. Think about how you are giving of your time and talents so that others will benefit in some way from your efforts.

Do you see what’s happening when you do this? When you change your focus from “me” to “others”, your work and efforts – the things that you do every day – start to take on a new significance. You are now a giver. You are now contributing to something worthwhile and bigger than yourself. Your life has purpose and meaning. You know that what you do is truly important to someone else. That’s pretty special. You’re pretty special.

If you still feel that you’re not contributing to the benefit of others, or you feel you can contribute more, then remember that there are many people and causes that could really benefit from your talents and what you have to offer. Think about what you do well and what you enjoy doing, and how that could help others have a better life. Then go do it. You’ll find this new-found sense of purpose will quickly get you out of the quicksand and give you levels of inspiration and motivation that you didn’t think were possible when you were feeling stuck.