Seven Steps to Link Your Thoughts To Your Success

Seven steps

In a conversation with my niece, who had just graduated with honours from university, was sharing all the job opportunities she had to choose from. Her level of enthusiasm washed away any fleeting thoughts of doubt.

Listening to her was a powerful reminder that we are in charge of our thoughts and what we focus on influences what we do in our lives.

Many of us, in our lifetime, have received more messages about what we can’t do versus what we can. This is why ‘not feeling good enough’ and ‘I can’t’ runs rampant.

The good news, scientists have discovered our brains are always changing. We are continually rewiring and reprogramming it with thoughts.

It makes sense to pay close attention then to the thoughts we are having because they all get recorded in our brain. Whether they are positive or negative, real or imagined, we are rewiring our brains with our thoughts. Our environment, experiences, emotions, attitudes, self-talk, all of our perceptions get imprinted in our brain.

Note to self: If I am constantly rewiring and changing my brain, consciously or unconsciously, I am creating in this very moment the person I am going to be tomorrow.

We can intentionally choose who we become. It isn’t in our genes it is in our thoughts. Instead of being guided by doubt, we can be guided by faith. Instead of focusing on failure, we can focus on success. Instead of voicing what needs to be done, we can verbally draw a picture of what is possible to create.

This is HUGEWe typically do what we are programmed to do, instead of what we are truly capable of doing.

The programs that are running in our brains were formed by the input we received from the time we were born, whether it was the truth or a lie. Our brains continually change based on the latest information it receives. This is why it is critical to create a positive environment for ourselves from what we read, to the music we listen to, to the people we hang out and associate with.

Knowing this you can no longer say, “that is just who I am.” A more accurate statement now is, “this is who I am choosing to be.”

What This Means For You

If you are a person who has a short fuse when things don’t go as planned, it is critical for you to be more purposeful in directing your self-talk. Instead of letting yourself off the hook and saying, “This is who I am, I have a short fuse,” begin to tell yourself, “I am patient and willing to listen.” This begins to rewire your brain and produce different results.

If you are a person who tells yourself you have no discipline when it comes to making healthy food choices it is time to tune into being more mindful of the story you tell yourself. Change your self-talk from “I have no discipline around food” to “I am making food choices that make me feel good” to better support you in getting what you want.

Change takes mindfulness and discipline. Mindfulness is the process of being more self-aware of what is going on in your head. It is documented that we have more than 50,000 thoughts a day translating to over 35 thoughts a minute. That’s a lot!

How many thoughts are you aware of in a minute?

The bad news is that over 80% of those thoughts are negative and that is being optimistic. These are the stories that are unconsciously running in the background of your mind and influencing your life.

To create real change in who you are, you have to be more purposeful and mindful of what you are programming into your brain.

When you define your brand and declare how you want to be known it is just the first step. If you declare to workout regularly or eat healthier, or read more and watch TV less, or schedule that regular date night with your spouse, that is only the first step but it is where you start. To make change stick you need to behave your way into who you want to become. It starts with your thoughts.

Change initially takes effort and eventually becomes a habit

Feed your brain positive thoughts – what you tell yourself dictates the programs that get recorded in your brain and affect your life. Here are seven steps to get you started:

1. Be intentional. A clear intention will get you more of what you want. Whether you are making that sales call, running a meeting, or attending a networking event. Intention gives you focus.

2. Take a ‘no excuses’ approach. You always have a choice. Decide who you want to be and be that. Do what works for you instead of going along with the crowd or doing what others say you should do. You decide for you!

3. Practice. Repeat, repeat, repeat! When making any kind of change you need to repeat the new thoughts that influence your behaviours to wire in the right programs and get you the results you desire. Doing it once isn’t enough.

4. Have the right attitude. Attitudes are emotional and intellectual. I hear leaders comment regularly that they will hire for attitude before skill set. It is never just what you do, how you do it carries more weight!

5. Focus forward. Stay focused and be guided by your goal. When you are focused forward doubt or fear are not part of the picture.

6. Pay attention to how it feels. Your emotions create a stronger connection. When you think and act in alignment with what works for you, it feels good. When it feels good you want to do it again.

7. Appreciate your accomplishments. Every night before you go to bed stand in front of the mirror, look yourself in the eyes and appreciate all the things you did right that day. It is so important to end your day with positive thoughts.

You become your thoughts. No matter what it is, when you think it, your brain records it.

This is your life. Make it remarkable.

Pick just one thing you can start doing today to create the person you want to be tomorrow!

Align yourself with what matters most to you. Live your brand fully expressed with intention and purpose to play bigger!

Are you interested in having a conversation to explore how you can define your personal brand and accelerate your growth as a leader, individually or as a team? Send an e-mail to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation.

Dorothy Lazovik

Dorothy is on a mission to shift the culture of organizations to people first! Supporting leaders in fulfilling their TO BE LIST to better deliver on their TO DO LIST. Doing the work impacts how leaders see themselves, the people they lead, the environment they create and the outcomes they achieve. Producing higher engagement, ownership and productivity. How would making a change like this elevate your business results?

Authentic Leaders Edge

Next Step

Ready to implement a model that elevates your leaders and has them taking ownership of who they are and the results they achieve? Interested in creating the environment that puts people first to increase engagement, build trust and improve how business gets done?

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