Why should you want to control your thoughts? As the old adage goes, you are what you think. If you cannot control your thoughts, your thoughts will control you.

When other people say things that bring a negative thought into your head, you need to control whether you let it stay there. If you don’t have that control, your brain will start to build other thoughts off of that initial thought; whether it was true or not.

How do you start controlling your thoughts? First of all you need to know that it is possible. Next, if you have a thought that you should not keep, do not talk about that thought. Proverbs 30:32 says, “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.” Saying something about that thought only reinforces it.

You need to rebuke the thought and tell it to go away. That’s easier said than done, especially if you are not in the habit of doing it.

The bible calls this casting down our thoughts. 2Co 10:5 says, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”. God would not tell us to do something that we could not do. We need to ask Him for help when it comes to doing this. We also need to be persistent. At the beginning we may need to do this many times.

After casting down those thoughts we need to replace them with correct thoughts. In Php 4:8 it says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

When someone has said something against you that has made you mad, you need to pray for them. This will get your focus off of yourself and onto what God wants you to do.

Once you have successfully controlled your thoughts for a while, it will become easier. You will be able to look back on past victories and that will help you through your current situation.

Don’t give in to your negative thoughts. They will destroy you. Cast them out. Replace them with what God wants you to think about. Make this a habit and your life will definitely improve.

Just as willpower is an essential factor in achieving success, at some point in time, discouragement and lack of motivation may hinder you from reaching your objective. And it is up to you, and you alone to devise techniques that will help you keep that drive within afire.

It is helpful to have visual goals. whatsoever that is you are working towards, make it visual. It maybe something material like a car, or a vacation you have been looking forward to for the longest time.

Take or cut out a picture of it and post it at a conspicuous place at work or at home where you can see it often. So that when you feel discouraged, this will remind you of your goal and will help you keep your spotlight.

Make a contract with oneself. According to motivational researches, people who write down to-do-lists are far more triumphant in achieving their intended goals than those people who just keep mental lists instead.

Putting something in writing somehow makes it more powerful psychologically speaking. This may also be the basis why most cultures have such a high regard in honoring contracts. In the contract, you may also include a certain reward that you will give yourself once you have accomplished the task.

After all, everyone likes to be rewarded for completing a good job. Even a simple pat on the back, “good job”, or “thank you” may do the trick to give the person the additional push to carry on, but unfortunately, these may not always be readily available. Considering that these are also essential in keeping oneself motivated, you must learn to find a way to get that encouragement on your own through pleasing yourself.

Abusive people lower your self-esteem and bring you down. Get these negative people out of your life. Surround yourself with positive people. Imitate their example. Smile amply and think happy thoughts.

These will give you a brighter outlook and lets you see a clearer picture of what you really want and a fresh mind to know what steps to take to get there. Rather than wait for things to happen, try to be proactive and MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. Inactivity idles the brain and stagnates your potential to reach your goals.

Read inspirational books and literature. These will help you improve your attitude and heal your mind. A book of success stories also proves to be encouraging. You will not only learn from others’ experiences and derive confidence boosting insights from them but the story will be instrumental in motivating you to go for your goal and move ahead with your plans. If this still seems to falter, get training or education.

Oftentimes, not knowing how or where to start is frustrating. Knowledge is power. Having a clear understanding of how and where to start is empowering and it will provide the extra drive needed to hit the mark you are aiming at and follow it through.

Having enumerated all these tips and tricks to attain self-motivation, but still you seem to feel lacking that much needed drive, there is one last thing that you must try.

Whatever it is that you have been meaning to do, or wanting to achieve, JUST DO IT! Keep on aiming high and go for it! Actually getting your hands dirty best solves the problem of motivation. By “forcing” yourself to just do it, your momentum will pick up gradually as you go along and before you know it you have finished the task or have finally achieved your goal. Divide and conquer is the key.

Break down the apparently unattainable activity to small doable steps. Not only does it become less overwhelming, but seeing the “in the meantime” results will further your confidence that it can indeed be done.

Lack of motivation happens to us all, but if you do not encourage yourself to accept opportunities and be challenged, no one else will. It is most important to keep your eye on the goal, find ways to keep going, and in no time, you shall reap its benefits.

And if at the beginning you were just doing it for the material reward, you will also learn to realize that the fulfillment, satisfaction and self-achievement you derive from reaching your goal is a much enjoyable high that will keep the drive within constantly burning.

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We all go through periods of adversity and suffering. Some of them are mild and some are life changing. Problems are simply a part of life, and while we can’t eliminate adversity, we can learn how to cope with it.

Obstacles do not have to be insurmountable roadblocks on the pathway to success or happiness. They are simply a part of life. Problems are generally an indication that we have something to learn.

When everything is going wrong and the world feels like it is falling apart, anger is normally the first reaction. But this is the worst thing we can do. Losing our temper will rarely achieve the desired result.

More often than not, losing our temper does nothing more than make a bad situation worse. The reality is that we don’t really lose our temper, it’s more like we turn our temper loose.

Whenever life acts, we respond, and these responses are seldom planned. Reacting on impulse when things go wrong we tend to lash out at anything or anyone that has the misfortune of being close.

This doesn’t have to be the case. And our chance of resolving an issue is much greater if we keep from getting angry.

While we may not be responsible for everything that happens to us, we are responsible for how we react.

The mind is a very powerful tool, and if used properly, can be a very strong positive force in times of trouble. But in order for the mind to be its most productive, it must first be calm.

The ability to choose our thoughts, to THINK what we want, is what gives us the power to determine our attitude and perspective when approaching a problem.

If we allow anger, despair and frustration to consume us, it’s like a runaway train gathering steam and threatening to derail. The FIRST thing to do is quit feeding the fire. As our initial anger passes, our perspective begins to change.

Once our temper is under control, we begin attracting solutions, rather than allowing anger and frustration to compound our problems.

All of us have an inner voice that talks to us. Pay close attention to this voice because it has the power to make any situation better or worse.

This inner voice is the voice of our subconscious mind and will work for or against us with equal ease. Once anger and frustration are removed from the equation, the subconscious mind is free to help guide us toward a solution if we listen.

Our subconscious mind is the ultimate information filter, but it will provide its most useful solutions only when we are quiet. The subconscious is an obedient and able servant once it knows which direction we want to go.

Don’t shy away from problems. Sometimes the best way to inform the subconscious mind that we need a creative solution is to experience frustration in our conscious mind.

By using the conscious mind to define and clarify the problem, we leave it to the subconscious mind to guide our actions in solving it. When the subconscious is jogged by need, visualization or relaxation, it will release back to the conscious mind necessary and helpful information.

Thoughts and emotions act as magnets attracting similar thoughts and emotions.

When we approach our problems with the right attitude and have things in perspective, it will appear as though our problems begin to solve themselves.

Everybody knows that good habits need to be cultivated while bad habits seem to grow like weeds. Habits like self-discipline, self-control, order, and perseverance, are all habits that require a conscious effort to create and maintain. Procrastination on the other hand, is a behavior takes no effort at all. For better or worse, it’s your habits that make or break you.

The amount of self-help information available today is virtually unlimited, but it is of little value without first learning to direct your focus and attention. The mind moves constantly from one idea to the next with amazing speed, rarely giving its sole attention to one subject for any length of time. Yet success in anything depends largely on the ability to direct your mind; not only where it goes, but also how long it stays there.

Success, like anything else, must be learned and practiced. A habit starts out as no more than a thought. When this thought is pursued it turns into action. If repeated often enough this action will impress itself on the subconscious mind and form a habit. Once a habit is formed it becomes automatic and no longer requires the attention of your conscious mind.

Take a close look at your routines. Routines are what form your habits. Examine what is working for you and what is not. Just as with a garden cultivating good habits will also take time and attention. You need to nurture the flowers in your life and start pulling the weeds. If something is not working for you, get rid of it!

If you wish to be successful in anything you do, follow the clues.

Study the habits of successful people. It is the habits we create that make us who we are. One habit all successful people have in common is the ability to focus their attention for extended periods of time.

How do you make focus a habit? Start small and work up.

Resist the impulse to jump from one unfinished project to another. Write out a priority list and pay particular attention to the order of that list. Do not let petty distractions interfere with working through each task in the order you have established. When you overcome the temptation to let your focus and efforts become scattered, you are creating the habit of finishing projects and seeing them through to the end.

Situations will always arise over which we have no control but we can choose how we react to them. When you are thrown off course make a habit of returning to the task at hand as quickly as possible.

Learn to use your imagination and create a mental image of your end goal. The importance of mental imaging in attaining your goals cannot be over-stated. This mental image will act as a blueprint for your action plan, bringing your thoughts one step closer to reality.

When you consistently focus on your metal image it will manifest in the physical world. Regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight, succeed in business, or simply trying to improve your life, the more detailed your image, the better your chances of achieving your ultimate goal.

Acknowledge the small things.

Recognize and acknowledge each little success as it comes along. As one success leads to another they add up and you gain confidence in you ability to reach even larger goals.

Everything is learned by degree. Start small and practice daily focusing you attention for ever longer periods of time. As you learn to focus, one small success leads to another until success becomes a habit.

In order for us to change the things that we are unhappy with in our lives we have to change the way that we think. If we never change the way that we think we will continue to get the same results in our lives. In order for us to see changes in our lives we have to face our worst enemy and that is FEAR (really ourselves)

About 90% of people live their lives in fear and never become the person that they dream of becoming. This simply happens because they just fail to take action. They FEAR what they don’t understand. We have to look at FEAR as nothing more then a word or as a learning process. Did you ever know what FEAR was when you were a young child? Probably not, at least until someone that you trusted or looked up to told you what it was. Mankind has simply connected a word to a feeling, giving it life and in turn making people fear it. Mark Twain said it best with this quote, “Do the things that you FEAR most and the DEATH to FEAR is certain.” You owe it to yourself to understand this principle.

To conquer fear start by accomplishing the things that you fear the most. After doing so, you will look back and think how foolish it was to be afraid in the first place.

Learn to leave your comfort zone. When we leave our comfort zone we become a more rounded individual. When we do the things that we fear and look back at them afterwards, we see that what we feared has now turned into part of our comfort zone. This simply happens because we do not fear these things after accomplishing them in the past. The next time similar situations arise we will no longer stress over it, we will just do it.

We must set our minds on always conquering the unknown. Always “think outside the box”. Look fear in the eyes and just do the task. Chances are that you will succeed and soon come to find out that FEAR is nothing more then a word. Every successful businessperson has undoubtedly faced fear many times, yet they have succeeded in their business. So can you!

Think back to when you were a child. Most of us have limitations put on our lives very early. We are taught how to think, what schools to attend, how to make a living, and finally, even how to plan our retirement. Most of us end up fearing anything that is different than what we are taught.

Once we understand and can change some of the beliefs that have been programmed into us by society, we can more fully take control of our lives and our destiny through the power of positive thought.

You to can become successful in any aspect of your life that you choose. You just have to get past one thing, YOURSELF!

When you do this you will start to become the person that you have always dreamed about. Today is the day you are going to take what is rightfully yours. It’s called LIFE! We are here to enjoy every aspect of life, not just to be a part of it.

Believe in yourself and start by conquering FEAR!!

Developing your will power is directly related to your success in life. No one can over-estimate the power of your will to do.

Most people do not fail because of a lack of education. History is filled with uneducated or poorly educated millionaires who didn’t let this supposed shortcoming hold them back. On the contrary, what they may have lacked in education was obliterated by their overpowering will to succeed, no matter how many times they failed along the way.

It is the lack of determination and will power that is the true reason so many people fail. Just as an athlete trains for a physical game that takes concentrated effort, the mind must be trained with the proper skills to win in life.

The process of obtaining this self-mastery — the complete command of your mind’s powers — is a gradual one. It involves determination and the daily task of making it a habit. Once you have self-mastery, the cost of obtaining it will bring a real sense of accomplishment and a realization how minimal the cost really was in the long run.

You don’t need to be a genius to succeed — just make yourself do the thing you need to do when it has to get done, whether you like it or not. This is one of the best lessons you can learn.

When Henry Ward Beecher was asked how he could accomplish so much more than others, he replied, “I don’t do more, but less than others. They do all their work three times. Once in anticipation, once in actuality, and once in rumination. I do mine in actuality alone, so I end up doing things just once.”

Beecher could concentrate his mind on what he was doing at a given moment. Then he’d go do something else and concentrate on his new task. One of the secrets of a successful life is the ability to focus all of our energies on one thing at a time.

Don’t waste time worrying as it only crowds your thoughts with worthless clutter. Focus on what you’re doing when you’re doing it, and stop worry before it stops you. Worry is an energy vampire. It reduces your chances for success and it can make life miserable for those around you.

Learning to focus your efforts is the only way you will achieve the success you’re capable of achieving. The earlier in life you learn this simple fact, the more likely you will overcome everything that slows you down and prevents you from reaching true success in everything you do.

Here’s a recipe for a wasted life — just go about every day trying to do too many things all at once. Splitting yourself up into a hundred little parts leads to nowhere.

Yes, there are some people who like to juggle a number of tasks, and they may be good at it, but for most of us the need to concentrate on one task at a time is imperative to getting the job done. It’s not the amount of work you get done in a day or week or even a year, but it’s your persistence in constantly moving forward that will get you where you want to go.

Keep at it! And remember …

Focus, Focus, Focus.

One of the biggest problems today is that most people are not happy.

We look for external stimuli to make us happy. We expect our significant other to make us happy and divorce her or him when they do not. We expect our children to fulfill our dreams for us and are disappointed in them when they do not. We expect money to solve all our problems and make us happy, then, we can’t understand why it doesn’t once we have it.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I will be happy when…”?

I will be happy, once I am married.

I will be happy, when I get a promotion.

I will be happy, when my children are grown and I’ll have more time for myself.

Pages and pages of examples could be given.

Another way to view this statement is, “I will do this, when that happens.” Have you ever made that type of statement? I hear people say it all the time. You are making your happiness contingent upon an external event.
Happiness is not an external thing. Even once you have something external, the happiness it brings you is short-lived. For example:

You have waited for that special relationship. The significant other is great, but you still have a negative attitude. You were happy during the initial stages, but now it seems routine.

You have always known that a promotion would get that new home for which you and your spouse have been waiting. You got the promotion, the money is great, and you buy that home. After the beginning the excitement wears off, things go back to the same routine, just in a different house. Your happiness falls back to your previous feeling before the promotion.

You and your spouse knows that you will be happy, once the children are grown. You will not have to work so hard to provide for the family, and you will have more time to enjoy your relationship and home. Well, the children have grown up, but they can’t afford to live on their own. The children are still living at home…for free!

Look at all the time in the examples above that people wasted not being happy! Then, when they got what they were waiting for, the happiness was fleeting. Again, it’s because happiness cannot be gained from anything external.

THE SECRET TO BEING HAPPY

It’s incredible how many books have been written on the topic of being happy. Yet, so many people are not. Do they not read the books? There are people who read such books all the time and are still not happy.

With so many unhappy people in the world, being happy must be an extremely difficult thing to achieve.

Haven’t you known or met that person who always has a great smile on their face, a smile in their voice, and a skip in their step? You want that too…don’t you?

So what is the secret to finding happiness?

Believe it or not, the secret is known!

It is easy to do – no complicated actions.

It is quick to do – no long-term procedures.

You can do it anywhere – no special requirements or equipment are needed.

Anyone can do it!

The secret?

Determine yourself to be happy!

It’s an internal process.

True happiness that lasts is an internal process. Nothing from outside  can make you happy or unhappy. As in any situation, your reaction determines whether the event is stressful for you or not. It is the same with happiness.

If upon waking each morning, you state strongly to yourself, “I am happy today”, then you will be. Whenever you encounter stress, just mentally reaffirm, “I am happy today”, the stress will be there, but your reaction will be minimal.

That person who always wears a smile and has a skip in his step, seldom experiences stress the same way you do. He is happy, and being happy allows the stress to roll off his back better.

So, make your determination every morning.

Tape affirmations that say, “I am happy today” all over your home and at work.

Say it aloud to yourself often throughout the day, especially on those days with many problems. Continue to say it, until you believe it.

Then, put a smile on your face and confront the outside world. When you are happy, you have the world in your hands!

No one will disagree that modern life can get insanely busy – if we let it. Are we too busy though? How comfortable are we when we don’t have anything to distract us? Are we content when we’re not accomplishing something, moving ahead in our goals or helping others? Is our sense of worth tied to our busyness? Are we a slave to recognition? Are we lonely when we’re by ourselves? It is important not only to reflect upon such questions but to decide to behave differently.

Perhaps we could set aside five minutes of ‘thinking time’ a day. Some people might just ‘be’ while others may choose to meditate or pray. We might also do well to engage in a solitary activity from time to time or even develop a hobby that we quietly enjoy ourselves. Instead of only reading work-related journals, we should read outside of our area of expertise and read for pure pleasure.

Many of us are performance-oriented and driven by success and competition. We should acknowledge that one day we may be at a loss to know what to do with ourselves when our career is over, retirement beckons, or perhaps we become physically unable to actively pursue the same interests. Can we still be happy even when we’re not busy? We need to slow down and savor life – not rush through it and miss so much potential beauty and happiness along the way. It is entirely possible to discipline ourselves to slow down and be more fully present in each human interaction and each solitary moment of our day.

Being fully present is impossible if we are constantly rushing about, going over our ‘to do’ list or mentally reviewing the meeting we just left. To be fully present is to give 100% attention to the task at hand or to whomever we’re talking. It means maintaining a comfortable degree of eye contact, verbally showing comprehension and asking open-ended questions. Applied to family life, trying to slow down and be more present brings irreplaceable rewards. The dignity of each family member is recognized and deeper relationships result. The next time your child or a young person asks for attention in some way be reminded that nothing is more important or sends a message of love more than willingly giving them your time. It’s a gift of self.

Do not miss the truly important parts of life by being too preoccupied and busy. Slow down! Resolve today to:
• Look for the beauty around you
• Begin to read a book for pleasure
• Spend some quiet time alone
• Listen better
• Spend some time visiting with family and/or friends

Abundance is for everyone, not just the limited few that life appears to have smiled on.

We are surrounded by abundance. Nature is lavish, even wasteful in its abundance. Anyone caring to look will find an abundance of love, joy, money, and health is readily available to everyone willing to accept them. If there is any lack in our lives it’s not because there is not enough, but rather, because we are limiting our intake. What we receive in life is controlled by the limits we place on our emotions, behaviors, thoughts and actions.

There are many factors involved in why it is so hard for us to open the valve controlling the flow of abundance in our lives. By the time we become aware of the fact that we create our own limits, the beliefs and habits we’ve developed that produce these limits are so ingrained they are very difficult to change.

Society also has its role to play. Since most of the world’s governments have become capitalistic societies, it’s in their best interest to promote conditions and belief systems that produce large numbers of have-nots. Simple economics tells us that in order for capitalism to thrive, there must be a large supply meeting a large demand and you must have people who are in debt to create a large enough demand to consume that large supply.

The simple reality is that the governments of the world make their money from our poor health, debt, and our struggle to “just get by.” Their abundance is dependant on our lack.

But this does not mean we have to accept these limits. While it’s true that most people will never take advantage of it, information about attracting wealth and prosperity is freely available to anyone caring to look. And the law of attraction says that the more you look, the more information you will attract. What fills your life is what you focus on.

Learning to create abundance in your life is about much more than simply creating material wealth, it is about enriching your Self as a whole. When you begin to understand the principles and laws that govern Abundance, you begin to understand that you are not constrained by the conditions of the economy or the amount of your present income.

Your ability to increase your wealth, live in abundance, and have financial freedom is all based on your understanding of the universal laws that govern the flow of energy controlling your ability to turn potential into reality.

Yet there is more to creating abundance than simply placing an order and then sitting back to wait for its delivery. You have to be giving something of value, adding to the flow, in order to make this work. When this is the case people are more than willing to pay for your contribution.

Wealth, money, success, love, and health are all forms of energy. Being part of the flow means that you are a participating member. Once you understand how to operate in the flow of that energy, you learn to work with the Source of energy and actively create your reality instead of simply letting random thoughts create a chaotic existence for you.

Abundance is about living a healthy, vibrant life with a purpose and experiencing the joy that comes from possessing a strong sense of Self.

The type of belief being discussed is the one that a person has when they have complete faith in their own capabilities. The type of belief that Terry Fox the one-legged young man from British Columbia had when he started to run across Canada to raise money for the Cancer Society. The same sort of belief that Rick Hanson the wheel chair bound Canadian who wheeled around the world to raise funds for spinal cord research had when he started his man in motion tour. Absolute belief in their ability to do what they set out to do.

The power of belief is a spiritual power we can use to achieve nearly impossible feats. The power of belief is the most awesome force anywhere. It is within each of us, and it is unleashed by a spark created by our self confidence. When our self confidence in our ability to do something is strong and unwavering, our subconscious mind is prodded to awaken our belief. It has been scientifically proven, many times, that when we believe we can do something then we will find a way to do it. As Mary Kay Ash said, “If you believe you can, you will and if you believe you can’t, you are right.”

The power of belief is strong and as your belief increases, you will discover things that were once just a dream or a thought, will become fact. To build up your self confidence so it will act on your belief, you have to make sure your self talk is always positive. Become your own coach and mentor, encouraging yourself to do better. Set goals and work to reach them. Reaching goals and talking positively to yourself will build your self confidence quickly. As your self confidence grows, so will your belief in your ability to do what you set out to do. The power of belief is what will make you successful in everything you attempt. Once your belief becomes deeply established, then little miracles will begin to happen for you.

The following experiment was conducted in a school in the United States. The results show just how powerful belief is.

A large class of students was broken into two smaller classes. The poorer performing students were put into one class and the average and above average students were put into another class. The average and above average class continued as usual. The under performing students were told by their new teacher that they were taken out of the class and put into this special class because they were the brightest students and they were going to be given special assignments to prove to everyone they were especially intelligent. They were told not to discuss their school work with the other students because it would make the other students envious. They were then given the same work as the other class. Throughout the year the teacher continued to praise the students and tell them how bright they were. By the end of the school year, the former under achievers were performing better than all the students in the other class. This experiment has been tried several times in different schools around the country and the results were always the same. When people are told frequently they are smart, good and can do exceptional work, they always start performing to that level because frequent repetition of praise makes them believe in their ability to perform at a high level.

The same thing will happen if you praise yourself over and over again. When you do something successfully, praise yourself. Constantly tell yourself how smart and capable you are. If your subconscious mind hears it often enough, it will take it for a fact. Your subconscious mind does not know whether something is true or not, it just “believes” what it is repeatedly told. By the same token, if you constantly belittle yourself or talk negatively to yourself, your subconscious mind will believe that. This is why you must always talk positively to yourself. It is well known that a person who has a negative belief and a negative attitude thinks, “I cannot to that” and a person who has a positive belief and a positive attitude thinks “I can do that, I know I can.” Positive belief can squash any adversity. Throughout history there have been numerous individuals who overcame obstacles using the power of their belief in themselves.

If you are the head of an organization, belief can be a powerful tool you can use. When you convince your staff that the work they are doing is very important and that it will benefit others, you will find their productivity increases dramatically. In fact individuals often work harder and will settle for less when they think what they are working for is linked to a deep self belief.

If you believe there is a possibility of achieving what you are doing, then you will use your full creativity and abilities and will pursue the task relentlessly. It is human nature to do so. Most of us are not very happy when we are doing something we do not believe in. Psychologist Marty Seligman claims in his book, “Authentic Happiness,” published by Simon & Schuster in 2002, people are happiest when using their personal strengths to defeat difficulties, if while doing it, they believe what they are doing makes a difference.

Our values are based on our beliefs; we make choices, set goals and act according to what we believe. Therefore, before we can change anything in our life, we have to believe what we are trying to change is possible. Whether we want to become the most successful person in our profession or we want to become a better surfboarder, we will have a better likelihood of success and we will work diligently to achieve it if we believe we can do it.

Napoleon Hill, author of the book, “Think and Grow Rich,” stated this concept very concisely when he said, “Whatever a man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.”