Tag Archives: success mindset

business lessons from independence day

Lessons from Independence Celebrations

Last week, Canada and the United States celebrated their independence. Soon, the French will celebrate Bastille Day. Is there anything to be learned (not just celebrated) from the French and American revolutions or Canada’s move to independence without war that we can apply in our individual lives today?

I found something incredibly important this year that can change your life, just like the French and American Revolutions changed history.

I have always loved the fireworks, barbecues, and gatherings of family and friends on the 4th of July. If I am honest, I have spent very little time thinking about American history since leaving high school (Independence Day being one of the few reminders of my privileges of wise people from times past). So I was surprised on July 4th when I picked up my copy of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich only to be reading a passage about the founding of the United States. If I had remembered this passage was in the book from prior readings, I still would not have been able to find it easily. Yet, here on Independence Day this was the spot in the book I was at.

Hill points out the the real point in history to celebrate was not the winning of the war, or even the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776. He points out the many prior decisions that allowed independence to be won. The keys Hill claims are moments that go unnoticed. Each small, seemingly insignificant decision leading up to July 4th were the real factors in winning independence — like Henry Lee, Samuel Adams and John Hancock starting a Correspondence Committee with the other colonies. Does anyone remember that?

It is our DECISIONS, not the actions that follow them, that determine our fate.

Every time I make a decision in my own life, I know things start to move much more quickly, and the actions I need to take seem easier. But in those times when I vacillate and wait, it only gets harder and harder to act. Do you find that true, too?

By nature, I don’t like to be wrong — no one does, but I take failure as an indicator of my worth. So making decisions has been something I have had to struggle with and grow in my capacity to do; not something that came easy. Ironically, I can make business decisions easy because I feel confident in that arena; but personal decisions affect my relationships, which I have always held sacred and unconsciously feared losing.

Take a moment to reflect on your own decision making muscle — how strong or weak is it? Are you better at making some decisions than others? Are there recurring issues in your life you have been unable to take action on?

Taking this back to Independence Day, you can see that NOTHING important can happen without a decision. If your life feels somewhat numb, or your dreams remain wishes year after year — I suggest you determine if it is your lack of making a decision that is the true culprit, not circumstances, holding you back.

Making decisions can be the scariest thing we do. What if something goes wrong? What if it doesn’t go the way I hope? What if others don’t like my decision? What if I make the wrong choice and miss out on something wonderful? What if…

Decisions can be the scariest thing we do — until we make the decision. Then, decisions become the most liberating thing we can do.

Each decision frees us to start taking action on a determined path, rather than remaining dis-empowered and waiting for something outside to happen. Decisions start to open doors and serendipitously bring people and events into our life to make things happen; but only after we decide.

Is there a decision you have been avoiding? Maybe this July as multiple countries of people are celebrating freedom it is time to use that energy to support you making a decision and experiencing the freedom that comes from definite decisions.

 

how to set affirmations for success

Do Affirmations Frustrate You?

For many years I was extremely frustrated by all the buzz about the Law of Attraction and doing affirmations. All these people were raving it worked, but I was not seeing results in my life or in those around me also trying to use positive thinking to change their circumstances.

Then someone suggested I start to say, “What would it take for….?” Rather than, “I am…”  You might want to try it. It was just the solution I needed.

My cynical truth meter does not go into high gear when I say, “What would it take for me to be healthy, strong and flexible?” It does goes into overdrive when I try to affirm, “I am healthy, strong and flexible,” when I’m recovering from a serious illness and have lost my strength. I would experience streams of doubts in my head that negated any benefit from the affirmation.

But now, when I ask “what would it take”, I have opened my mind to find solutions rather than argue with me.

Noah St. John recently wrote an article about this very thing.  He uses, “Why am I healthy, flexible and strong?” The key is asking a question.

These are two very powerful ways to make affirmations work for you and remove the frustration you might be feeling if they haven’t worked.

  • What will it take ……?
  • Why am I…?

Maybe you have some variations of your own. I would love to hear them!

working through overwhelm

Success Comes at the Pace of One Step at a Time

When you find yourself in extremely difficult situations, take it one step at a time. I love the image Joe De Sena gives of running — just to the next telephone pole, not the total distance.

“The way to get through anything mentally painful is to take it a little at a time. The mind can’t handle dealing with a massive iceberg of pain in front of it, but it can deal with short nuggets that will come to an end. So instead of thinking, Ugh, I’ve got twenty-four miles to go, focus on making it to the next telephone pole in the distance…the ability to compartmentalize pain into these small bite sizes is key.” ~ Joe De Sena from Spartan Up!

When coaching grief groups, I’m often surrounded by people whose lives have just been shaken to the core — the loss of a lifelong partner, the death of a parent, or even a child. At these times, it feels like the very foundation has dropped out, and they are navigating the world with no floors or ground. I cannot take away their pain, I can only help them navigate the waters until the waves become less violent. At those times, one of the best remedies is to not try to visualize life in total — which feels hopeless and overwhelming — but to visualize getting through the current day, or even hour.

Whatever in your life is stopping you in your tracks — even if it is just today’s work — can be compartmentalized to it’s smaller components and tackled one at a time.

If you find yourself not taking action because the task feels too big, or the result too risky — try this technique. Because moving forward, even one small step, will help you improve your outlook and your results.