Over course of my life, I have slowly and often reluctantly, discovered just how important it has been to control what I think about. Whether my thoughts are positive or negative, good or bad, if my impressions of people are terrific or terrible, I have learned, the hard way, that I must control how I think. If I allow my thoughts to wander into the negative regions of my brain, soon, I will find myself reacting sourly, passing on my miserable attitude to others while breeding even more negativity wherever I go.
Conversely, when I react positively to situations and people, maintaining an up-beat philosophy and generally behaving in an accepting and welcoming fashion; I not only enjoy my trying days more, but over time, I seem to morph into a more positive and optimistic person. I can also report, as my family will surely also attest, that this a daily, weekly and hourly struggle for me. I constantly strive with each sunrise, to think about the positive, shrug off the negative and allow my thinking to become more focused on all things good. It is, without a doubt, my greatest challenge and a battle I fight from sunrise to sunset.
Why do I struggle so long and hard to control what I think about? The answer lies in a well-worn and used cassette tape, (yes, they still exist,) from the late- great motivational speaker and author, Earl Nightingale. I will never forget the very first time I slid that tape into my cassette player and heard Earl’s dulcet tones speak the words I recall to this day; “You become what you think about.” I was a field representative for a large retailer, at the time and was driving, once again to my first of 9 stores, down a crowded interstate highway. My days were always hectic, they would routinely stretch into 14 or more hours, 6 or 7 days a week and I detected no end in sight. It seemed that I had no control over those endless days; I was constantly “putting out fires” and I was performing a function I had only been thrown into the past few months. I was a complete rookie with too much to do, too little time to complete all of my tasks and too busy to ever think or plan…. and then I reluctantly pushed the “play” button on that tape player and my life changed forever with Earl’s words of advice.
I discovered that if I thought bad things would happen, then they almost assuredly would. I also learned that the opposite was also true. If I began to believe, to truly believe that all of my problems were solvable and my career was completely in my own hands, then my dreams in fact, were already on the road to becoming a reality. On that crowded, noisy and hectic stretch of road, I vowed to take Earl’s advice. I continue to take it and practice those skills every day, because, without a doubt, it is the hardest task I have ever attempted. But it also works, if only you will let it.
It works because you only have to “will” it to work. Not everyone I met that day, or any other day, for that matter, is going to put you in a good mood. I know there are people out there in the world who take absolute delight in ruining the days of other people. I know this because they have told me so….on many occasions. I also have come to realize that there are thousands of wonderful, delightful, helpful folks out in the world who make it a joy to roam the planet with them. There just are not enough of these remarkable people to go around. I want so badly, to be a part of their club and to help and serve others. I want to be a person other people seek out, just to give their day a boost. I know a lot more of these kind of people than I used to. I intend to meet many more.
I also discovered, during my sojourn on the path toward becoming a more positive person, that it helps to associate yourself with people who are also positive and think that every problem can be solved and every challenge is an opportunity. I have found myself spending more and more time with these folks and less time with the people who can literally suck all the joy out of even the happiest occasions with just a look. We all know those kind of folks, who, even as they receive their award for the greatest sales increase, obtain a promotion and raise because of this achievement, open the letter to read where their eldest child has been accepted to Harvard and then say, “Yes, that is good, but you know, I have to cut the grass, clean up the mess in the garage and then get a root canal tomorrow.” Yes, they can envision the bad in every good situation. I now try to avoid those people, like the infection they all carry.
I did not always think positively and I am still just beginning my journey; but I am certain that is the proper path to take. For once you have selected the path of controlling your thoughts, soon, it becomes a habit and then,becoming the person you want to become gets easier and easier. Earl called it the ‘Law of attraction,” and I believe it should be right up there with the laws of Sir Isaac Newton. The law of attraction states that people will be attracted to you and your goals when you not only have goals, but also maintain a positive attitude toward achieving them. In other words, people will find and help you, people you often do not know, when you are on the correct path. I know this sounds like magic, but it is true. When first started to control my thinking on that congested highway in Connecticut, the right events and people who could help my career, started appearing, almost out of nowhere. Within less than a year, I was promoted to a job that launched my dream career and ultimately moved us all to the town and profession I enjoy today. And that was not an accident, it was a choice.
To this very day, I am amazed that when I channel my thoughts and energies toward the positive, I begin to unleash a power and series of events, that, while the road is frequently long and convoluted, ultimately leads me to my goal. I do not know how it works, but it does, and all it takes is to learn to control my thoughts and actions and keep them laser- focused on the positive. Soon, someone or something that I need seems to materialize and I can seize onto that opportunity and run with it. For almost 40 years now, I have been a student of this phenomena and can personally attest to its validity.
All you have to do to begin, is to choose; like I did on that highway in 1980. Choose to no longer be a card-carrying member of the group that complains, gripes and destroys. Join the amazing group of people who have decided that there is a much better way and then vow to learn how to control what you think about. Fight that fight, each and every day and one morning you will wake up, look around and discover that you are in a world where good things can and do happen and where you can achieve all of your goals, one by one. Decide now, never look back and keep your eyes and mind constantly focused on your bright and limitless future. Once you make that choice, you have, in fact, already won. Choose now. Let your journey begin.