June 7 , 2007 Vol 1 Issue 23

Good Thursday to all!

"There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him flows toward him."

~Norman Vincent Peale~

It was like I was under a spell...

I heard a radio advice show host say last night, “…that people simply do not stop and make decisions, because it doesn’t matter enough to them on a personal level.” I agree, but I think it really goes deeper than that.

I recently found myself right in the middle of indecisiveness. Looking back, I know how I got there, but at the time that I was “digging myself into a  hole” I was unaware of how fast and hard I was digging… I’m pretty good at being decisive, yet, this time I struggled. I used every pain avoidance technique I know—even my bathrooms are clean… 

Then a dear friend said...“You are sending mixed messages, what do you want?” (What are friends for—sometimes they really do need to challenge us.) I pondered that “bold” statement for a while. I began to notice the voices in my head were getting louder—no, I wasn’t going crazy but, I caught myself making harsh comments that I would never make to anyone else; yet I allowed myself to say them about the one person I should care about most—myself!

It is no wonder then, that I resisted the decision and self-reflection it would have taken. Who would stand there and listen to that if another person told them the same thing? The negative self-talk had me under its spell. It only released its hold when it got so bad I had to make a decision or else…

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,

To Success! To Life!
Sharon

“Instead of focusing on the negative, build the habit of rewarding the positive.”

A printable Action Quote pdf— Positive Habits

Approach with curiosity...

Approaching a “problem” with curiosity and consideration of the many different solutions can relieve an over-developed tendency to self-criticize. Curiosity involves:

OPEN-MINDEDNESS: Accept yourself exactly as you are, where you are. Observe before jumping into action. Be willing to allow many possibilities. Self-limiting statements like “I’ll never do this!” or “This is impossible!” stop the mind from searching for solutions.

When it is painful, we tend to want it over quickly, so we look for a “quick fix” to stop the pain. Negative self-talk focuses on only the first layer of a problem, “Oh, how could I be so stupid,” is a surface response. Turning self-limiting statements into questions opens the mind. “How can I do this?” or “How is this possible?” releases the imagination to discover new possibilities.

NOTICING THE INTERCONNECTIONS: Things can sometimes be more complex than they seem. How often have you noticed that when you go to improve one thing you find how it’s connected to every thing else? Just ask anybody that has ever started a remodeling job about interconnections…

As you notice the interconnections, be gentle with yourself—give yourself the same grace you would give others—as you learn new ways to create solutions with positive self-talk.

FINDING THE BEST SOLUTION: The next time negative self-talk enters your mind, stop and ask yourself, “Is this situation as bad as I’m making it out to be?” Rethink your expectations and assumptions. Then determine:

1. What do I want to happen? Know the benefits of reaching your solution or goal.
   
2. Break the interconnected layers into realistic, achievable solutions (goals), setting success milestones along the way.
   
3. Think about ways of dealing with any pluses and minuses that may arise.
   
4. Adjust your action plan based on what works and what doesn't.
   
5. Reward yourself and appreciate your achievement.

Instead of focusing on the negative, build the habit of rewarding the positive. Take a couple of minutes at the end of every day to write down your successes. Download and enjoy Impression Engineers’ 30 Day Success Journal. A free gift to you—our loyal readers.

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