As I have studied people who have achieved extraordinary success, one theme consistently emerged – mastery of constructive thought. It is the difference between mediocrity and excellence. All too often, we believe the lies, doubts and fears so we quit before we ever reach our full potential. There is an alternative and several truths flow from this profound principle:
- Expertise is overrated. A burning desire, learning mindset, and diligence in the face of adversity succeeds. A learning mind is open, extraordinarily curious, and unbiased.
- Your limiting beliefs hold you back more than anything. You are what you think. Both emotions and actions are driven by thoughts. Start by changing your thoughts and this will change your outlook, behaviors, and life trajectory.
- Deliberate practice harnessing the power of focus, feedback and fixing it leaves innate talent in the dust. Most practice until they are good and stop. The elite are constantly evaluating, refining, and upping their level of play.
- Thought distortion stifles the most brilliant and is often at the root of frustration, unproductive anger, defensiveness, anxiety, depression, and doom and gloom attitude. It will ruin relationships, destroy health, rob your joy, and severely limit your achievement. The prudent develop robust strategies for rational, constructive thought forgiving regularly and showing kindness especially to self.
- The difference between success and failure often comes down to small adjustments and careful planning. Chaos, firefighting, and stalled progress result from the opposite.
- Your ability to decipher and stay focused on the most essential variables and actions instead of the trivial many will optimize productivity to achieve the goal before time runs out. This takes constant evaluation and editing.
- Optimal sleep, a positive outlook, and motivation inspires creativity giving a competitive edge. Intrinsic motivation is released through listening, removal of roadblocks, spurring critical thinking and change talk, giving autonomy, and knowing proper timing for guidance.
- Most quit from mental exhaustion just before a major breakthrough. Leaders practice mental toughness, renewal, and celebration of small wins along the way allowing hope and perseverance to flourish until the finish line.
How can you apply one truth to your life today and build a habit of constructive thought?
Credits: Photo by Mahdi Dastmard on Unsplash