Free Your Mind And The Rest Will Follow

A mind like a parachute must be open in order to work. You might have heard that saying before. If not, then you have now!

The challenge is that even though most people know this, they’re still close-minded.

How many times has a great opportunity passed you by because you closed your mind to it? How many times has your life NOT been impacted by something great because, “It’s not for me”, “They just want to sell me something”, “I have no time” (and then you go home and watch TV), “I have no money” (and the event was free), “I have no life” – Isn’t this the real answer?

Are you living the life of your dreams? When you were a little child, what did you want to be when you grew up? How old are you now and when are you going to grow up? For everyone out there that is living the life of your dreams, I congratulate you and I’m so happy for you. For the rest of you, when are you going to start?

Maya Angelou, an Author and Poet, once said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” So which one are you going to do? Complain to someone and go home and watch TV? GET OVER IT.

Don’t be someone who’s just never positive or completely happy about anything – the nay-sayers and the fault-finders – who’ve decided that their mission in life is to tell you the glass is half-empty, in case you missed it. In more vernacular terms, this person is called a complainer, a whiner, a wet blanket.

Don’t subscribe to this type of inflexible behavior.

I know that sometimes people get this way because they set high standards for themselves and no one, including the person herself, measures up. They pride themselves on being able to analyze things critically, to bring a discerning eye to the table. But someone whose primary response is fault-finding, who seems discontented with almost everything, will get little cooperation and respect from others.

If you think that there’s a fault-finder lurking within your personality, ask some people close to you who’ll give you honest feedback. If your suspicions are confirmed – Yes, you can be a wet blanket at times – Yes, people are afraid to share their tentative ideas with you for fear of getting them picked apart.

Change your mind. Start somewhere. Let me give you a couple of tips.

First, catch yourself when you say something negative. Rewind, and say it again with a positive spin. Sometimes you may have to really stretch to find something good to say. And the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Second, develop the habit of saying something positive before you say anything negative. You’ll have to make a conscious effort at first if your tendency is to just point out flaws. But if you really do think to yourself “say something positive” before you open your mouth, eventually it’ll become a habit.

Finally, believe in what you are saying. It’s not just the words. It’s the belief and the actions. Remember, it comes from within you. If you say one thing and believe another thing, you’ve just canceled yourself

out. Your actions and your beliefs must be in alignment for you to produce results. BELIEVE!

I’m going to close with a quote from Patricia Fripp who hits the nail on the head, “Challenge everything you do. Expand your thinking. Refocus your efforts. Rededicate yourself to your future.”

YOU Rock!