A guy was walking past a tattoo parlor in China as he noticed some pictures of tattoos in the window. His eyes fell on the one that read “born to lose.” He just had to know. So, he walked into the parlor and asked the tattoo artist “do people really pay to have that tattooed on their body??” The man responded: “before tattooed on body; tattooed on mind.” Wow! That is a powerful little story of a really big truth. You’ve heard it said that our thoughts become our words which become our actions and our actions become our habits. Your habits will make you and will be one of the most crucial determinants of your success. So, if our habits in seed form are our thoughts, we need to get control of our thoughts and have as many positive ones as possible! The great news is that we get to choose our thoughts!
Here are some great habits to create to get on the positive thinking road to success:
- Don’t think about what you’re going through; think about what you are going to! Everything worth doing comes with some kind of price, sacrifice, trial, and frustration. However, focus on where you are going, the goal or prize at the end, the end result, and the why behind the what! This will always get you there quicker and with a better attitude, better results, and energy to pursue the next goal!
- Get your but out of the way and put it where it belongs!
- Stop saying “I would, BUT” and start saying “I can because”
Instead of giving yourself reasons (excuses) why you can’t, look for and find ways that you can! ~Wally Amos
- Every time you have a negative thought that provokes you to complain, put your but where it belongs! Ex: Negative thought: I hate all this traffic on the way to work, BUT I am grateful I have a job. Ex: I hate that I feel out of shape, BUT I am going to fix that by exercising and eating better.
- Pattern Interrupt: When you notice that certain things trigger negative thoughts and complaining, stop and ask yourself why. Then, determine if this trigger is something that is avoidable or if you need to choose different thinking towards it.
- Choose, Choose, Choose: Choose to think on things that are lovely and praise worthy. Choose positive thoughts. Choose a good attitude; it affects everything in your life. Wherever you go, there you are!
- Write out Some Positive Affirmations: Chances are most of your negative thinking comes from lack of belief in yourself or your self-esteem and self-image could use some improvement. Writing out positive affirmations about yourself where you can frequently review them is a success principle that is highly under-rated!
- Flip it For Real: I could have titled this article: The Road to Failure is Paved with Negative Thinking. BUT, I didn’t because we are talking about positive thinking here. What thoughts or phrases in your life can you flip?
Remember our childhood friend, The Little Engine? What did he think? Turns out those stories aren’t just for children. When his thinking was poor and negative he was stuck in a rut and didn’t have the belief to accomplish his goals and dreams. Belief is huge. When he began to think positively, he began to believe, when he started to believe, he started to perform. Then little by little, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” turned into “I know I can, I know I can, I know I can. And, he did! And so can you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfWGoLj1JCM
