Why do some people become successful while others do not when they start from the same place?
Even when two people grew up in the same or similar environments, they likely have drastically different thoughts and thought processes going through their minds. We often hear stories of siblings who grew up in an abusive environment and one sibling fell into depression or aggressive behavior that seemed to ruin his/her life while the other sibling thrived and climbed out of it by becoming stronger with everything endured instead of clinging to a victim mentality – because that will get you nowhere fast.
While there are obviously a lot of factors beyond your control, there are many things you can control.
It may not always seem like it but we really can control our thoughts. It begins with an awareness. Initially, it will feel like you are making your brain hurt as you focus on becoming more aware of your thoughts as often as possible. Keep a sticky note near your desk, on a bathroom mirror, or on the end table by the couch with a reminder to pay attention to your thoughts. There are two specific ways you should consider paying attention to when you do this exercise:
1. Pay attention to your thoughts and situations to see what situations, people, conversations, and times of day trigger an emotional response for you like anger, fear, or anxiety.
2. Pay attention to your thoughts to see what learn what thoughts seem to blip through your head just for a second – often unnoticed – but now you’re gonna catch them since you’re paying attention. (I am very curious to know what you discover when you do this, so please add a comment below.) You will find all sorts of interesting things popping up that you previously had no clue about, it’s kinda weird.
Once you do this, you’ll begin to understand what is holding you back. The two keys I’ve found to be most helpful after you’ve done this exercise are focusing on positivity and persistence. Learn what takes you into a negative place and then find ways replace those thoughts and responses with positive thoughts. Plan in advance where you want to be and what will motivate you to get there. I suggest writing it down or having an image somewhere near you to remind you to stay positive.
At that point, the key is persistence. Change may not happen right away but if you keep at it, the change will come. Download my free ebook to learn more about how to harness these to become more successful in business and in life.
To quote my ebook, Step Through Fear into Success, people who succeed… “choose to let their imaginations lead them to heights others no longer believe are possible. This allows them to find opportunities that others overlook or never saw in the first place. They do not stop at obstacles and say, oh well. They find a way over it, under it, or around it.”