D.J.Schwartz, author of The Magic of Thinking Big, in his book Maximise your Mental Power, describes a study he did way back in the early 1960’s, on five of his college friends who all started life under very similar conditions. Fifteen years after college they all got together again at a reunion and Schwartz examined closely if their circumstances were still as similar. Did they all achieve as they said they would? Where were they all fifteen years later?
What Schwartz found was that only one of the five had actually accomplished what they all had set out to achieve. The study confirmed that four of the group had fallen victim to seven common psychological sins that caused them to stay stuck in a cycle of mediocre achievements, boredom and frustration. The other one had however achieved success by avoiding these seven psychological traps.
If you recognise any of the seven psychological sins in yourself then you have taken the first step to changing your circumstances.
- Letting other people control what you do with your life – When you make a decision is it based on your own thoughts and feelings or do you base it on what other people will think.
- Blaming others when things aren’t the way you want – Making excuses for why things aren’t the way you want them is not something successful people do. You must take responsibility for the role you play in creating the cicumstances around you.
- Not having belief in your own abilities and potential (lacking confidence) – If you think you can’t then you usually deliver, if you believe you can and take the necessary steps then of course you can. Blind men have danced, deaf people have sung and a man without legs climbed one of the highest mountains in the world. If you want it, believe it and you will figure out a way to achieve it.
- Not acting because of fear – We are all afraid of something but you can’t let it stop you, it can be overcome. If you are not as successful as you would like to be it may be because of fear. Examine your thoughts and feelings. What are you afraid of? Are your fears rational?
- Not setting any clear goals - Do you know what you want? Do you have a plan to achieve it? You can’t just wish for the things you want or the way you want your life to be you must make a plan, commit to it and take action.
- Not asking what the other person wants or needs – Being successful involves finding out what other people’s needs are and finding a way to meet those needs. If you help enough people get what they want you will aslo get what you want.
- Failure to believe you can succeed – This is really believing in your ability to control the thoughts that occupy your mind. You will need to be diligent here negative thoughts come easily, constantly replacing those thoughts with positive ones is necessary to stay motivated. You must support yourself in your quest for success, help yourself as much as you can. Focus on positive and uplifting thoughts, surround yourself with people you can aspire to even if that is in the form of books or dvd’s.
Life is short, time is the one commodity we can’t replace or get back, making the most of yours doesn’t happen by chance. Growing as a person means accepting responsibility for your life and where you are in it there are many successful positive people who can provide you with inspiration, tools and knowledge. David Schwartz and Napolean Hill from generations ago and today people like Anthony Robbins and Australian self-made millionaire Jamie McIntyre are leading the way. So if you are having trouble on your road to success you may be falling into one or more of the traps mentioned above, the positive thing to do is take that information and use it to turn things around. Learn from those who have succeeded and continue to succeed on their journey, you too can have an awesome ride.
Power Thought
I am in charge of my thoughts
Remember and tell yourself this often
Cheers
Teresa and the Team at
Reference
David J Swartz Maximize your Mental Power, 1967 pp. 28-38
Tags: achieve success, Jamie McIntyre, setting goals, successful life
