I have been reading about the law of attraction, the rule of positivity, and similar theories and find there is a lot to consider. There are so many books that say the same thing that it is hard to ignore, so I decided to research it and implement what I found. First of all, the theory states that we each have control over what happens to us. Well, we know that already. In fact, if you have gone through some of our self-mastery classes, you heard us share that. I found there is a bit more to it as I continued to read. Taking it to the next level, the theory is that if you believe in something, there will be a tendency to move your life in that direction. Bottom line: if you believe you can, or you believe you can’t you will be correct. The first reference I read with that saying was by Henry Ford, and it seemed correct to me.
The theory is aimed at all aspects of life and business. For example, if you believe you are poor or wealthy, successful or a failure, sick or well, just for some examples, then that’s what you will be. I am in my late 70s, have a muscle myopathy, and have a few negative beliefs. Most of those negative beliefs are self-limiting. A new belief just popped up, so I figured, what if I tried the power of being positive? No, I don’t mean that I am positive that I can’t do something. May as well get that argument out of the way. What if I focused on the positive instead of the negative? For example, I believe that I have no stamina and will never travel again. I can forget about ever enjoying that vacation with my granddaughter. Well, forget that negative thought. What if instead, I believed that I could go on a Disney cruise. Sounds kind of outrageous, but what if.
What I discovered is that if you truly believe something will happen, you start to do things that make it happen. So, if I believe that I cannot do it, I would sit in the recliner and give up. If I believe I can, I will start to do things that would overcome obstacles as I found them. There are many books and teachings about this theory, and they all have the same message. The way I see it, I have nothing to lose from being positive.
The same theory is true in business. We talk a lot about strategic planning, and I have seen many nice plans put on a shelf to gather dust. I will tell you that if you truly believe in what you put down on paper in that plan, you will do it. You may change a few things as you learn more, but you will move in the direction of realizing your vision. Besides all that advice, why did you spend so much time and resources to write the plan if you were going to ignore it?
I have discovered that you learn a lot when you are focused on the positive. You may decide you are a mountain climber and after some time learn that you are not. That is OK because you learned something that you can use in your next idea. That is what really happens with these theories. The more you try, the more you learn. The more you do this, the faster the lessons come. If you give up on the first day, you never learn anything, and the negatives build up just as fast.
I wanted to do a seminar. After looking at the project, I could have decided against trying. Instead, I presented a seminar. Not my best and I only got a few people to attend, but I learned a lot. The next presentation had a full room attend. What is stopping you from implementing your strategic plan or even beginning the work? I know it is comfortable in that recliner, but it is time to get up and start living.
Here is what I suggest you do beginning today. Listen to that inner voice that is telling you that you can’t and start talking back. Yes, you can. You may not have a clear picture on the first day, but it will get clearer as you go. Stop the negative thoughts and start with positive thoughts of what you could do now to realize that joyful life that is waiting for you to discover. One day, not too far from today, you will be surprised to find that you can. You may wake up someday to discover a five-year-old helping you pack your bags for a cruise.
Did you find some neat ideas in this blog? What are the exciting ideas you came up with, and how are you implementing them? Let me know by contacting me at dwfavor@catalystgroupinc.com.
Catalyst Group is a national mentoring company that works with professional practices and small businesses in designing common-sense plans that incorporate profitable business practices with a balanced work life.
