Self Talk and Positive Thinking.com

3. Strategy - A strategy is your game plan of life. The road map you will use to accomplish your goals, ambitions and desires. Just to believe you can earn $100,000 a year is not enough, you must design a strategy that gives your life direction and navigates you toward success. The key to strategy is to design a proper strategy to achieve your success without the detours of life, to find the shortest distance between two points.

4. Clarity of Values – Man must first determine which things in life are most valuable to him. He must determine his feeling about such things as patriotism, pride, love, freedom, excellence, ownership and tolerance. These are values in society, the moral, ethical and fundamental judgments that we, as individuals, deem important. Without a clear system of values for ourselves, it is impossible to believe in something with a passion that has no value to us. Once we have established our individual value system we are then able to determine how we can achieve success based on our priority of values. What must we give up in one hand to accomplish what we desire on the other hand?  Without a value system we can never move forward for we may be trading without increasing our potential for success.

5. Energy - Without the physical vitality to take action, nothing would ever come of our system to this point. The passion could build, our belief of accomplishment could be overwhelming, we could have the best strategy or map to achieve the ultimate value for our own life, but if not for taking the first step, nothing could ever be accomplished. Great success cannot be separated from physical, spiritual and mental energy that allows us, compels us, to accomplish the most with what we have to work with. Physical energy comes from the strength of the body itself fueled by our intake of nourishment. It is therefore important that we fuel our engine with premium fuel (good eating habits), not low grade regular (junk food). Our spiritual and intellectual energy evolves from our environment and it is therefore important that we assess our own personal environment to maximize the energy that we can obtain.

6. Bonding Power – We have all known people that have exhibited the ability to get along with anyone and everyone. The ability to be a chameleon is truly the ability to connect with and bond with others. The ability to build rapport. Being able to deal with others as Mr. Robbins says “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” To be able to understand the…

7. Mastery of Communication – To take charge and run your own mind. To learn the techniques of NLP and no longer allow our mind to run our lives, but rather take charge of our own mental abilities and cause them to work for our own accomplishment of success.

“There is only one Success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”- Christopher Morleyce

“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan

What does it take in our everyday lives to be successful? In order to evaluate this question it is first necessary to understand what “success”  is and what all successful people have in common. However, only 5% of the population will ever reach their potential for all activities, 95% of the people will never truly be successful. By definition, success is the realization of a worthy deal. Success is different for every individual. For some people, an annual income of $25,000 would be a success, for another it may be $125,000. Whatever it may be for you, there are 5 characteristics that you must have in common with other successful people in order to achieve true success. Goals are the single most important factor in achieving success. Without a realistic goal, how will you ever know when you have reached your success level. All successful people set goals. All goals must be
realistic, short term, measurable and obtainable within the bounds of your own perception. As time passes, your goals can always be adjusted upward to reach your ultimate goal of success. However, if your initial goal is to be worth $1,000,000 by the year end and you are currently only worth $100,000 with an annual income of $50,000 a year and this is November, you most likely will never be able to reach it and therefore, it is unrealistic.
Biting off a job in small portions makes the eventual achievement of the total task seem easier and manageable. All successful people constantly set goals, re-evaluate their goals and scale them upward toward even greater accomplishments. A positive attitude is the second factor that successful people have in common. I have never met a truly successful person who I would consider a “self made” success that did not have a positive attitude.
These people relate to the world on a positive basis. They always look for the “can do” not the “can not do” side of every situation. “If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” All successful people truly believe not only in themselves, but in the reality of their goals. A positive attitude is contagious and when it is sincere, the people with whom you come in contact will relate to you and your activities with a vitality and positive attitude that causes a winning, successful environment.

The truth is always best to deal with for several reasons, not the least important of which is that it is always the easiest to remember. If you are going to be successful, you will not have time, energy and ability to remember untruths, or lies that you have told people. This consumes valuable energy and detracts from the power needed to run a successful life. The truth is easy to remember and generally, in the long term, easier to deal with. True winners are always ready to face the truth in situations and handle things as they deal with them on a timely basis and then proceed to get on with the business of running a successful, prosperous life. Never having to back track to cover up problem areas. Research and Development in today’s society have become extremely important to all major corporations. This is where all new products and ideas evolve.

Successful individuals have always understood this principal on a personal level and they constantly strive to improve their own abilities through such methods as formal educational systems, seminars, reading books, listening to ideas the thoughts of others, and in any manner that presents itself to them. Successful people truly believe they can improve themselves and constantly strive to seek methods and means that will help them accomplish this task. They also know that there is a price to pay for this success and the return on investment is sometimes great and sometimes small, but that the return without the investment is always the same “0″.
“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it.” – Henry Ford

Man’s ability over all other creatures on this Earth is the ability to think.  All successful people use this talent to improve their lives and control their own destiny. Only you can take the initial step toward the unleashing of the power within your own mind. The power is awesome and at times can be frightening. However, man has abilities of the mind that many people can not or would not believe.
Anthony Robbins has written a book entitled “Unlimited Power” which explains in simple terms the theories of Neuro Linguistic Programming, the power of the mind and how to gain control and use it. NLP was originally developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler as a communication system using the central nervous system. Through this system Mr. Robbins has put forth a complete outline on how to unleash your “performance power” and achieve goals that before you probably felt were impossible. The first step in using your true mental abilities is understanding what Mr. Robbins refers to as the seven triggering mechanisms that is sure success.

1. Passion – All truly successful people such as Lee Iacocca have a driving force within them that sets them apart from others. A desire, an energy, that gives them the fuel to reach their true potential. This force is a part of them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It never subsides. Their total existence is sustained for the fulfillment of their goals. The passion within this individual to achieve has been so deeply implanted, that their mental power is driven by this force and will not let them do anything other than achieve.

2. Belief – “They can because they think they can”-Virgil. You will only make $100,000 this year if you first believe you can. If you do not believe you can you are telling yourself you want it, but it is truly not obtainable.
The truth of life is that man’s limits are self imposed by what the mind is given to believe. If you expand your belief of your own abilities, you will also expand your true realm of accomplishment. A man of whom all are aware, lived his life with adversity, but he constantly believed that he COULD achieve.
· Failed in business at age 31
· Was defeated in a legislative race at age 32
· Failed again in business at age 34
· Overcome death of sweetheart at age 35
· Had a nervous breakdown at age 36
· Lost an election at age 38
· Lost a congressional race at age 43
· Lost a congressional race at age 46
· Lost a congressional race at age 48
· Lost a Senatorial race at age 55
· Failed to become Vice President at age 56
· Lost a Senatorial race at age 58
· Was elected President of the United States at age 60

With all the adversity that faced him, President Abraham Lincoln had no reason to continually try other than the fact that he believed it was his destiny and measure of success to accomplish this task.

If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible. Of course, some say that seeing is believing. The question I have for such people is “Why do you bother paying your electric bill?” Although you cannot see electricity, you can certainly recognize and use its power. If you have any doubt as to whether it exists, just stick your finger in an electric socket, and I guarantee that your doubts will quickly disappear. In my experience, what you cannot see in this world is far more powerful than anything you can see. You may or may not agree with this statement, but to the extent that you do not apply this principle in your life, you must be suffering. Why? Because you are going against the laws of nature, whereby what is under the ground creates what is above the ground, where what is invisible creates what is visible.  As humans, we are a part of nature, not above it. Consequently, when we align with the laws of nature and work on our roots—our “inner” world—our life flows smoothly. When
we don’t, life gets rough.

In every forest, on every farm, in every orchard on earth, it’s what’s under the ground that creates what’s above the ground. That’s why placing your attention on the fruits that you have already grown is futile. You cannot change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree. You can, however, change tomorrow’s fruits. But to do so, you will have to dig below the ground and strengthen the roots. One of the most important things you can ever understand is that we do not live on only one plane of existence. We live in at least four different realms at once. These four quadrants are the physical world, the mental world, the emotional world, and the spiritual world.  What most people never realize is that the physical realm is merely a “printout” of the other three. For example, let’s suppose you’ve just written a letter on your computer. You hit the print key and the letter comes out of your printer. You look at your hard copy, and lo and behold, you find a typo. So you take out your trusty eraser and rub out the typo. Then you hit print again and out comes the same typo. Oh my gosh, how could this be? You just erased it! So this time you get a bigger eraser and you rub even harder and longer. You even study a three-hundred-page manual called Effective Erasing. Now you’ve got all the “tools” and knowledge you need. You’re ready. You hit print and there it is again! “No way!” you cry out, stunned in amazement. “How could this be? What’s going on here? Am I in the twilight zone?”  What’s going on here is that the real problem cannot be changed in the “printout,” the physical world; it can only be changed in the “program,” the mental, emotional, and spiritual worlds.  Money is a result, wealth is a result, health is a result, illness is a result, your weight is a result. We live in a world of cause and effect.

Our beliefs are specific, consistent organizational approaches and fundamental choices about how to perceive our lives and thus how to live them. We don’t know if our beliefs are true or false. What we can know, though, is if they work-if they support us. The word “lies” is used here as a constant reminder that we do not know for certain exactly how things are, and that no matter how much we believe in a concept, we should be open to other possibilities and continuous learning. I suggest you look at these seven beliefs and decide whether they’re useful for you. I’ve found them time and time again in successful people I have met.

1.  EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND A PURPOSE, AND IT SERVES US. Remember the story of W. Mitchell-this was his key belief. Successful people have an uncanny ability to focus on what is possible in a situation, no matter how much negative feedback they get from their environment. They believe that EVERY ADVERSITY CONTAINS THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT OR GREATER BENEFIT.
Do you generally expect things to work out well, or to work out poorly? Do you see the potential in a situation, or do you see the roadblocks? Many people tend to focus on the negative more than the positive. The first step toward changing that is to recognize it. BELIEFS IN LIMITS CREATES LIMITED PEOPLE.

2.  THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FAILURE. THERE ARE ONLY RESULTS. People always succeed in getting some sort of results. The super successes of our culture aren’t people who don’t fail, but simply people who know that if they try something and it doesn’t give them what they want, they’ve had an important learning experience. You can always learn from every human experience and can thereby always succeed in anything you do.
Think of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison. They knew they were getting feedback, so they could make finer distinctions about politics and leadership, science and electricity. Buckminster Fuller said: “Humans have learned only through mistakes.”
A possibility thinker like Dr. Robert Schuller asks the question: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” Take the word “failure” out of your vocabulary, and replace it with “outcome.”

3.  WHATEVER HAPPENS, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. Great leaders and achievers operate from the belief that they create their world. No matter what happens-good or bad-if they didn’t cause it by their physical actions, maybe they did by the level and tenor of their thoughts. Now I don’t know if this is true, but it’s a useful lie-an empowering belief. And if you don’t believe that you’re creating your world, you then believe that you’re at the mercy of circumstances-things just happen to you you’re an object, not a subject. In the area of personal communication, we say that THE MEANING OF COMMUNICATION IS THE RESPONSE YOU GET. If we try to tell someone we love them, and they get upset or hostile, the fact is, our communication may have been the trigger without our knowing it. By retaining responsibility, by changing our actions, we can change our communication-the power to change the result we produce.

4.  IT’S NOT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING TO BE ABLE TO USE EVERYTHING. Achievers tend to be time misers-they exact the essence from a situation, take out what they need, and don’t dwell on the rest. They know what’s essential and what’s not. I’ll bet that if I asked you to explain how electricity works, you would come up with something between a blank and a sketchy answer. But you’re quite capable of flicking the switch and getting the result called light.

5.  PEOPLE ARE YOUR GREATEST RESOURCE. Individuals of excellence almost universally have a tremendous sense of respect and appreciation for people. They have a sense of team, a sense of common purpose and unity. Look at Japanese business and the conclusion of the book In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman: “There was hardly a more pervasive theme in excellent companies than respect for the individual.” One person, no matter how brilliant, will find it difficult to match the collaborative talents of an effective team.

6.  WORK IS PLAY. Pablo Picasso once said, “When I work, I relax; doing nothing or entertaining visitors makes me tired.” Mark Twain echoed, “The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.” That’s what successful people do-they enrich their work by bringing to it the same curiosity and vitality they bring to their play.Successful people aren’t necessarily the ones with the most information, the most knowledge, but they are the most effective at using what they know. Some workaholics focus on work so much because they love it so much-they look at work the way most of us look at play.

7.  THERE’S NO ABIDING SUCCESS WITHOUT COMMITMENT. If there’s a single belief that seems almost inseparable from success, it’s that there’s no great success without great commitment. Anna Pavlova once said: “To follow, without halt, one aim: there’s the secret of success.” It’s just another way of stating the Ultimate Success Formula-know your outcome, model what works, take action, develop the sensory acuity to know what you’re getting, and keep refining it until you get what you want. What do Larry Bird, Pete Rose, Tom Watson, Dan Rather, Michael Jackson have in common? I like to describe what they do with W.E.I.T. What Ever It Takes (to succeed).
What if your beliefs are negative, not positive? How do you change beliefs? You’ve already taken the first step-awareness. You know what you want. The second step is action, learning to control your internal representations and beliefs, learning how to run your brain.

What would happen if you installed these seven beliefs, and lived “as if” these beliefs were true? What changes do you think would happen in your life? Take some time to look at how your beliefs would be affected if you adopted the beliefs of successful people I have presented to you in this chapter. What would you no longer be able to believe about people, events, life, your abilities, etc. that used to limit you? And what kinds of successes would you be likely to have if you replaced some of your old beliefs with these new ones?

Many people who achieve fortune in the world are not born rich. Every type of person on earth can become successful. There are saints and scoundrels; philanthropists and thieves; poets and politicians; young and old. There are no limitations or physical boundaries for success. Success comes to those who think about success and strive for it. Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had no formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame. Some people strive towards a single goal from early in life, and often attain that goal while still young. Others are willing to risk new adventures later and still attain success.
“It’s never too late to learn,” wrote Malcolm Forbes, the money magnate.  “I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52.”  Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you can be as successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished recognition in the areas of your pursuit. How did they achieve their goals? And don’t be afraid you don’t have what it takes. As Daniel Webster wrote, “There is always room at the top.”
FORMING CONVICTION
The single attribute that every successful person has is the one-pointed devotion to attain a goal. “There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations,” wrote Louisa May Alcott, “I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” What are your desires? How can you form them into definite goals that you can attain? Lawrence Peter wrote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much!” ( Jim Rohn  ).  Maybe you’re studying a craft or skill. Perhaps you’re caught in a rung of the corporate ladder. Or, you might feel constricted by your family and the environment around you. Which star are you reaching for? “Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through anything to get it,” wrote Don Marquis. Take the time to think about your own aspirations. Look inside to find what feels right. Almost everyone entertains the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the costume that fits you. Conviction requires certain qualities of action. You must be sincere and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals.
Are you prepared to achieve your dreams? Can you form their reality in your mind? Will you devote your entire being to attaining what you want?
ON YOUR OWN
Most millionaires are non-conformists. So are the most famous actors and actresses; and the most prominent artists. Writers are known for their individual traits and eccentricities. Your convictions and goals are your own business, even when you find help along the path. Mentors often take people under their wings to nourish and teach. Or spiritual guides will show you the path to attainment. But you’re on your own to achieve. Cultivate a sense of justice and an ability to make decisions. Cooperate with everybody and develop your own self-respect. And follow good criticism and advice after you’ve judged carefully. J. Paul Getty said, “I advise young millionaires to be skeptical of advice. They should advise themselves; they should form their own opinions.”  Lord Byron wrote, “There is rapture on the lonely shore.” And if you attain your goals with poise and sincerity, you’ll find warmth and love at the top – not the cold loneliness pictured by the jealous. Put on blinders to negative comments and criticism meant to hurt you. About the people who criticize, Voltaire wrote, “Never having been able to succeed in the world, they took revenge by speaking ill of it.”
SEIZE THE DAY
People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved success and fortune in the world has done it by action. William Jennings Bryan wrote, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”  The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as opportunity. “Few people recognize opportunity,” said Cary Grant, “because it comes disguised as hard work.”  Don’t let opportunities slip past while you’re still considering them, and create new ones as you see them. “Wise people make more opportunities than they find,” said Francis Bacon. What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the gum that became in high demand. All successful people the world over have found the opportunities for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve. Why wait for the time to pass? There’s never a better time than now.  “Sometimes,” wrote Lewis Carroll “I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Take your own impossible dreams and make them become reality.
HOW THEY THINK
Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And making a million dollars is coming closer to everyone’s pocket. What advice did the money-makers follow? Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for the top. “You have to think money day and night,” he said, “you should even dream about it in your sleep.”  John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, “I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living.”  And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work: “I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for my money, producing things people need.”  Even Proverbs advises: “In all labor there is profit.”  Richard Bach, the author of the best selling “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” wrote, “You are never given a wish without also being given the
power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.”  The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished,  “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.”
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to many people who make it to the top. The following questions are a guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.
1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?
2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?
3. Are you a leader?
4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?
6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?
7. Are you challenged by problems?
8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?
9. Do you consider other people?
10. Do you strive to attain?
11. Can you obey commands?
12. Can you bounce back after defeat?
13. Do you believe in yourself?
14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?
15. Can you follow instructions?
16. Can you respond to the needs of others?
17. Will you give credit to others?
18. Can you make your own decisions?
19. Are you determined?
20. Are you ready for success?