Do you ever “step back” and “watch/listen” to your own thoughts?
You become what you think about. That’s my reason for watching my thoughts. Think about success and happiness and trust me, as sure as the sun rises each day you will become successful. Think about all your bad breaks and how the world is unfair and trust me, sure as the sun sets each day you will keep getting bad breaks and living in an unfair world.
Pick your friends carefully. The five people closest to you will shape 90% of your thinking. I’m not saying they will think for you but your version of reality will be the average of those five people’s thoughts. I surround myself with people who enjoy critical creative thinking and more importantly enjoy talking about it.
Read all the time. I have observed that the successful people I have aligned myself with over the past year have one thing in common. We all read books, lots of books. Not novels but non-fiction business and personal development books. Reading is food for your brain. Reading about the success of others focuses your thoughts in a successful manner.
When you feel “bad” watch your thoughts. When you learn how to do this (and it takes practice) you will have an unbelievably powerful tool in your arsenal. I’ve learned this by watching my wife. Over the last year when she’s upset (yes, she’s human it happens) I can see her thinking and slowing down. For a while I thought maybe she was just counting to ten. Then, I realized she was thinking about what she was thinking and feeling at the moment. I know this because later we would talk about it.
Learn from your inner circle. After talking with Cheryl I started watching and listening to my own thoughts. Normally, it’s your primal lizard brain doing the talking and thinking when you are in a bad place or upset. Learn to get past that lizard brain and watch success come your way. (Now, go follow the lizard brain link it’s a great post by Seth Godin).
Do you keep an eye on your thoughts?
Your post is right on, Jim. One of your best.
My mind wandered to a time when I was reading more, and I have taken so much away from that. Through reading lots of nonfiction and self-help books I have picked up some really valuable tools. For example, when we put our intentions out in the universe we receive in return positive results.
It's not a bunch of mooey gooey bs. It is absolutely true. Try this: when you think of your intentions, do not think “I want to run a marathon” because then you will get exactly that — a 'want' to run. What good does that do you? You've already had that. Spin the positive one step more “I will run a marathon” and guess what? Now you will.
I adore your quote in the first paragraph and I have reblogged you on my site. Although there are a few people in my life that surround themselves with negative thoughts, 'why me', and martyrdom, I try my best to put up a shield and penetrate theirs.
Thanks for getting my brain churning on this, Jim. I'm glad to say you are are one of the people I surround myself with.
Very Zen of you, Jim, and I don't mean that flippantly, I mean it as a genuine compliment. And really great comment from @bananza too. In yoga, we learn to pause and acknowledge what we are feeling and thinking, without judgment. I think your point about how Cheryl stops to think when she gets upset is absolutely KEY. You can't shift your thoughts in a more positive direction if you don't first recognize what is happening. If you are going to get out of the downward spiral of negative expectation, there has to be a moment of recognition first. As I've been doing more yoga, I've been focusing more on this moment, and having it more often.
Mind you, no one is perfect, and we all have our moments where our own thoughts are not necessarily helping propel us forward. And some of my friends (Mark Fairbanks) reading this will laugh b/c I am not necessarily known to be Little Mary Sunshine myself. But I completely agree that the more we can focus our minds on the good stuff, the more good stuff we will achieve. I'm working on it, too. Without losing my charming sarcastic edge, of course ; )
Great stuff!
Yes, yes, yes, Jim! I couldn't agree with you more on any of the points you gave. You must watch your internal and external environments very carefully. Only then can you truly master yourself and what is happening around you!
Keep up the great writing!
Anne, funniest part is I “banged out” this post with Tosh.0 blaring in the background. Just wrote what I was thinking about at the moment. There's a huge lesson in there that is churning in my brain and will be a blog post before long. Thanks for all your support and positive comments!
Sue, I love you “Little Mary Sunshine” comment. Contrary to what many believe people can and do change. In the process of compiling posts for an eBook I'm pulling together I am reading posts that pull me back to a time when I let my type A personality override everything else in my life. No balance and honestly not much of a life really. The people Cheryl and I have become over the last year are a lot more fun to spend time with and I hope in the case of my customers to do business with. It's a journey not a destination 🙂
Shannon, I'm surronding myself with people who provide a positive influence for me. People like you. I can only hope you get as much out of the time you spend with me as I get out of spending time with you. No bull 🙂
Hey Jim – do you have any suggestions for podcasts that provide the best kind of influence? You know, kind of an “escape velocity” building podcast?