I have from time to time, found myself pondering what the difference between Richard Branson and Joe Schmo is.
Richard Branson has started hundreds of companies, has been knighted, is an adventurer, he owns his own island, he is in control of his life and makes it what he wants. Richard is living what most people would call an extraordinary life.Joe Schmo works way too many hours, for way too little money, at a job he hates. He's saddled with debt and fear of losing it all. Joe is constantly stressed and tired. Every morning when his alarm goes off he's sick with having to go back to his shitty job. Joe has gained some weight recently and had to cut back on exercising because of work. So now he's fatter. Joe is not living what I would call an optimal life.
So what is the difference between these two? Immediately it's quite easy to say billions of dollars and unlimited resources. Richard has it all, he's got nothing to worry about. He's just a lucky guy who got a good roll of the dice.That's the easy thing to think and say, but I believe it is a cop out allowing us to rationalize our own shortcomings and blame them on outside circumstances instead of taking responsibility. I challenge you to move past these assumptions and think bigger. What makes them different?! Where did it start, how did they both end up so differently? Two men have recently answered these questions for me. Steven Pressfield and Napoleon Hill.I argue that it was simply THOUGHTS.
Their thoughts were the determining factor. Everything in your life is dictated by your thoughts. Richard had bigger dreams, clearer thoughts, and backed them with a plan. Joe never believed he would amount to much so he let his environment, the people and events around him, dictate his situation. He was not self aware, he did not have a definite plan, had no measurable goals so he drifted through life never TAKING CONTROL.
There are ways to prime and convince yourself into achieving success. I recently came across two books that have changed the way I look at my entire life. The principles in these books explain the power of having a definite purpose backed by belief.
All of this may sound like I've gone off the deep end, buy hang in there. The books I am going to recommend at the end of this post will change the way you view your situation in life. They will give you the tools to turn your situation around if you are in an unpleasant one, or help you to achieve even higher levels of potential.
The nature of your thoughts determine the outcome of every single situation in your life. Thoughts will manifest themselves into real objects and situations in the material world. You must be diligent and mindful of your thought patterns as well as definite in your purpose to avoid falling off the path and as Napoleon Hill calls it, "drifting".
Simply having positive and definite though patterns as opposed to negative ones sets in motion powers outside of our control to bring you closer and closer to achieving the correlated outcomes of your thought patterns, whether those are positive or negative.
The old quote "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right" holds true to every persons situation.
So, we must brainwash ourselves into positive thinking and avoid at all costs thoughts of fear, poverty, ill health, and all other negative ideas. We must constantly bombard our mind with new and powerful ideas. This can be through books, podcasts, documentaries, significant others, or mentors and business associates.
You must develop a mental environment of success and possibility in order for that environment to manifest itself into reality. This is a small list, the books put all of this much more eloquently than I ever could, so get these books.
THINGS TO AVOID:
- APATHY
- LACK OF DEFINITE PURPOSE OR GOALS
- FAILING TO CHOOSE CAREFULLY THOSE YOU ASSOCIATE WITH
- NOT BEING MINDFUL OF YOUR THOUGHT PATTERNS
If you enjoyed this post, know ANYBODY that may benefit from it or these books, LIKE and SHARE it with everyone you can.
Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the link icons at the bottom of the pageHere are the two books with links to amazon. I highly recommend these books, they will change your life.
Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield