"Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in
the mind through repetition of thought."
~Napoleon Hill
This can be either very helpful or not very helpful. If you are thinking empowering thoughts, and repeat them often enough, you can be empowered. You can create ideas and plans that inspire you. You can allow purpose (and passion) to move you forward toward great things--just by thinking those thoughts repeatedly. AND if you are thinking thoughts that limit you, those thoughts will just as surely keep you from getting the outcome you were seeking. What are limiting ideas or thoughts? Ideas that contain a negative--for example, when you think about what you DON'T want, rather than what you DO want. Thoughts that focus on failure, anxiety, worry, memories of bad experiences, self doubt, fear, guilt, hurt, sadness, or anger. If you are going to be putting ideas, plans and purposes in your mind through repetition of thought, why not make them empowering ideas rather than liming ones?
This week: Sit down with a piece of paper divided into 2 columns. At the top of one column, put "Empowering"; at the top of the other column, put "Limiting". Now spend some time brainstorming. Identify those thoughts you think regularly and repeatedly. Write it down in the column it belongs in. Does it empower you or limit you? Continue you doing this until you have captured them all (or at least the most frequent ones). This may take you a few days. Then look at the "Limiting" column. See if you can reword them so that they are 1) positive 2) empowering and 3) could be true (you have to be able to believe that the belief could be true, even if it isn't quite true yet). Practice REPEATEDLY saying the empowering thoughts OUT LOUD this week. Do you get more confident about it the more you say it. If not, practice changing your body language and say it like you MEAN IT!
Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people overcome mindset limitations that block their success and happiness. Many people stockpile negative emotions and limiting beliefs from past negative experiences (what Linda calls "emotional clutter") and it keeps them stuck. For more information about how to change this, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .