Henry Ford once said; “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” And I wholeheartedly agree. I have always been fascinated with the power of the mind. There have been times in my life when I have achieved things I didn’t know I was capable of until I was bold enough to believe that they were indeed possible. I’m inspired this week by a book given to me by my sister in law, Sandy, called; Your Forces and How To Use Them by Christian D. Larson. It validated many of the methods I’ve used to channel my energy in the past and reinforced how powerful our minds are.

We are taught the lesson as children, that we have unlimited possibilities. That we can be whatever we want to be and achieve whatever we want to achieve. And then we grow up and start to believe the people that tell us we can’t. We are told to be more realistic with our dreams, to be careful taking risks and not push the boundaries. However, greatness cannot be developed so long as the mind continues to dwell on the ordinary, the trivial, or the superficial. The first step to believing in yourself is believing that you can indeed accomplish anything.

The second step is to remind yourself of what you want, not what you don’t want. The brain struggles to understand the negative - hence why if you tell someone not to think of a pink elephant, the first thing that comes to mind is a pink elephant. I witness this with my kids all the time and catch myself trying to tell them what I would like them to do instead of what not to do. We have to do the same thing for ourselves. “Don’t screw this up” is probably not the best self talk before you make a big presentation. Or calling yourself an idiot when you make a mistake does not help you grow from that experience or overcome the adversity at hand. When you say you are tired and let that feeling sink into your subconscious, you will almost always feel more tired. The same goes for when you feel sick, lazy, depressed and sore. When we choose to think about what we want, we act/feel accordingly and not coincidentally bring more of that into our lives.

The third step is about focus and centering your energy around a singular point or goal. When you begin to think you can do certain things that you desire to do, your mind will proceed to act on those abilities that are necessary to accomplish what you set out to do. And as energy and effort goes into those abilities, confidence begins to grow and more energy moves toward the desired outcome. However, this only works when we are able to put forth the continued focus and attention on this singular goal. Too many times we start something with good intentions, only to move away from it because we become distracted or enthralled with something else. It is why most people never reach their full potential. Instead they relinquish control of their lives to others and the circumstances around them, floating down the stream of life at whatever pace the day brings.

Take a moment and think about where you are in life and the direction you’re going. Are you clear on what you want to achieve? And is that achievement remarkable enough to make you a little uneasy in its size and scope? Let’s dream again about the possibilities, decide what we want and then pour our energy into making it happen. Believe in yourself and create more awesomeness!