You know by now that negative thoughts lead to negative actions and result inevitably in negative results. So when your goal is looming frighteningly large (“how can I possibly…?”), how do you keep those paralyzing negative thoughts at bay? How do you reprogram your own mind to avoid those destructive thoughts?
And where do you turn for help? Who can help you reprogram your habitual negative thought processes?
One of the best places for support in this area is a group of people who, like you, are in the process of achieving some pretty grand goals. I’ve mentioned before, that other people can see right through your own rationalizations and other negative self-talk. Your support team will help redirect you to thinking the way you need to think; ultimately, you have to learn how to take full control of your mind, and it’s a much easier journey when you don’t go it alone.
If you let your thoughts run wild with negativity like “I can’t”, “I don’t have time”, “it costs too much to get started”, you can bet that your resulting actions will NOT move you closer to your goal. Thoughts always result in action (even inaction is action!). Taking control of your mind means that your prevailing thought patterns become those of “I can”, “I am being wiser with my time management and I have plenty of time to work on my goal”, and “I’m finding creative ways to finance my dreams” (and so on). And just as sure as saying “I can’t” results in you doing nothing, “I can” results in you trying new ways to accomplish something. So where does the group come in?
First, you can see that you’re not the only one in this situation. Your group knows exactly what you’re going through! Second, you can spot each other’s negative streaks and in a cooperative spirit, help each other redirect those thoughts. Third, by meeting consistently to talk and brainstorm about your goals, thoughts of success (“I can”) become firmly entrenched in your mind. Can you think of other reasons why surrounding yourself with people who support you will have positive results?
Let’s say you have one friend who’s the one you go to when you talk about your goals – that one, wonderful, non-judgmental, unconditionally-loving friend who’s always encouraging you… how wonderful to have someone like that! Does this friend allow you to wallow in self-pity when you can’t do something right away? No. Your friend encourages you to try again, or try another way. Does this friend agree with your negative self-talk? No. That raised eyebrow says it all, doesn’t it? Does this friend agree with your excuses and rationalizations? No. The eyebrow is still raised! Does this friend say “oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be?” Of course not! Your friend has far more faith in you than you have in yourself – and it’s contagious, and soon you’ll come to have that faith too!
Now, imagine this positive energy multiplied by ten.
“It wasn’t meant to be” becomes “I created it.” “I don’t think I can” becomes “I’m becoming the person who CAN”… and then, truly, miracles happen. There is also a snowball effect as the energy of your group becomes more positive. You’ll begin to feed off each other’s enthusiasm and successes. You’ll take such massive action that all negativity will simply vaporize… and this will fuel the fire of passion, creativity, desire and dedication to your goal. In an atmosphere like that, success is inevitable!
Negativity becomes a thing of the past when you’re surrounded by other people who think they can… and think YOU can.