Are you thinking your way to success or failure?

Are You Thinking Your Way to Success or Failure?

Do you ever wonder about the millions of thoughts and stimuli that cross your mind on a daily basis? The ‘background chatter’ or the ‘little voice in your head’ which is always switched on.     Sometimes the chatter is completely random and as quickly as thoughts come to mind, they simply disappear again, sometimes against our will…”I was going to tell you something, but it’s gone…”, and sometimes they stick, whether they’re good or bad, and there appears to be very little we can do to dislodge them, think of a song you don’t like, for example!

In the bestselling book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill, he states that “Thoughts are things”, which on first reading sounds more than a little strange, after all, thoughts aren’t tangible and they don’t exist in the physical world, so how can they be ‘things’?  But, if we explore the concept a little further, and apply real-life examples to this notion, perhaps I can convince you that Mr Hill’s argument actually holds some truth.

Thoughts Are Things

It’s actually more the case that we are driven to behave in line with the thoughts which are predominant or most relentless in our minds.  Furthermore, it doesn’t really matter whether this is doing us good or ill, if we’re not consciously controlling our thoughts we will act accordingly.

However, there is a very positive side to this theory and that is that if we can control and channel our thoughts so that they are in line with the goals we want to achieve, then we can surely improve our chances of success.

But, by the very nature of being human, our existing thoughts (aka our beliefs) have been rattling around our brains for the whole time we’ve been on the planet, and therefore, our brains will automatically take the easiest (most familiar) choice when faced with a decision.  In other words, if we fail to actively walk the ‘correct’ road consciously (think the correct thoughts) often and persistently enough, our brains will automatically choose the familiar path and we will get more of our familiar results.  Good or bad.

Why It’s Hard To Change

This is why making changes to our life is so difficult.  Let’s take the example of attempting to lose weight.

When we decide we’re going to lose weight or get fit, we’ll imbue our intentions with lots of positive emotion and energy.  We’ll be enthusiastic and keen to get started.  Our friends will also encourage us, lending us even more positive emotion and energy.  Things begin well and in the first couple of weeks we make excellent progress.

Then progress begins to slow, and sometimes stop temporarily.  This is discouraging and our emotional high diminishes and probably becomes a bit flat or even negative.  Without the aid of the chemical rush (the endorphins from our original enthusiasm), there’s a danger that we will revert to our hitherto habitual (familiar) behaviour.

This is how it might go:  we’re feeling a bit low and discouraged plus we’re hungry.  Pre-diet, we would have reached for our favourite snack (chocolate, crisps…) which would’ve given us a temporary emotional lift out of our despondent mood.  At this immediate point our will power is low, in other words, we’re acting unconsciously and allowing our thoughts to fall into old patterns of behaviour.  We start fixating on the taste and smell of the chocolate bar, the feeling of it melting in our mouths and the pleasure sensations we feel when we enjoy the chocolate.  Without intervention (we need a distraction, a new thought, and quickly!) the next thing we know we’re half way through the chocolate bar.

Can you see from this example how our thoughts have indeed become things!  Ponder this idea for a little while and see if you can identify times when a fixated thought has resulted in it becoming your reality.

So how can we put the idea of thoughts being things to work for us instead of against us?

The important thing is for us to be mindful of our thoughts and how they are influencing our behaviour.  In addition, it’s important to realise that we can control and sway our thoughts; we’re not just at their mercy!  We can choose to dislodge the unwelcome thoughts and change the stream of narrative we’re experiencing.

There are many ways to do this, and what suits some, will not work for others, but here are some things that have worked and are working for me:

Reading

In order to think differently, we need to put different information into our minds in the first place!  I tend to read a lot of non-fiction books as I want to stretch my understanding of the things I experience and why I react in certain ways.  This may not work for you, but, if you have something that is troubling you, it’s worth taking a look to see what books are out there on the subject.  Sometimes just reading about someone else’s experiences can help to change and challenge your thought patterns and therefore your behaviour and outcomes.  As anyone who visits my facebook page will know, I also make full use of audio books!

Affirmations

I’ve been using affirmations for many years to ‘re-programme’ my way of thinking.  Some of these I’ve bought through CD programmes and others I’ve downloaded from Youtube.  There’s a huge selection of material available which covers every topic you could possibly think of – self-esteem, personal organisation, wealth, improving skills such as golfing and public speaking etc.  The beauty of this method is that it’s so easy!  You can actively or passively listen and it will be effective, just don’t expect overnight results.

Watching or Listening to Something Different

Watching or listening to talks given by people who are already living the life you want to live will help to instil their thoughts and therefore their behaviour into your repertoire.  You could check TED Talks (I like the humour in this talk by Shaun Achor) or Youtube to find your favourite people or genre.  Alternatively, if you want to be funny like Jim Carrey, then watching his movies will help you pick up on his techniques; similarly, if you want to play better tennis, watching how Serena Williams plays and adopting some of her style will improve your tennis playing.

Meditation

Meditation is a great way to calm the constant chatter.  Again there are many resources available online to help learn the techniques, but even closing your eyes and concentrating on breathing slowly has the effect of calming oneself.  Some people find meditation quite difficult to master, but there’s no need to be a master, benefit will be found in just a few minutes of slow, conscious breathing.

There is no one-size-fits all, it’s just a matter of trying different things.  However, the most important thing is to realise that controlling your thoughts is your decision.  The more aware and active you become in doing this, the more control you will have over the outcome of your life choices.

I urge you to put this concept to the test, because the changes you will see will be amazing!

I love to hear your thoughts! Share your thoughts in the comments box and let us know if you’ve tried any of these techniques?  Did they help?  What else has helped you turn off the chattering or is it still a chattering away?

Photo:  D Sharon Pruitt