There is an astonishing place that holds who we are and how we feel.  It remains the most impressive computing device known to humanity.  It is cheap – we all get one.  If scientists we’re able to make something similar – it would have a gigantic manual and a crew of technicians to operate it.  They’d work fulltime on how to get the most use out of it.

We are born with one but we don’t get a manual.  There are thousands of books written on learning to use it – but most of us don’t read a single one.  Most of us fumble about and learn to use it well enough to just get by. Some of us do far worse.  Studying the most successful business owners teaches us how they use theirs; here’s the how and why they work on good thinking.

If you agree that you are in charge of your own mind then you agree that you choose your own thoughts.  Choosing your own thoughts means you get to choose among positive thoughts, negative thoughts, angry thoughts and sad thoughts – to name a few.  Since there are always many perspectives, you get to choose positive thoughts or negative thoughts, for example, about everything.  You can choose to think the glass is half full or the glass is half empty.  You can choose to think you have failed at something or that you’ve learned better about how to succeed next time.  Choosing our thoughts is the one and only thing over which we really have control.

Your thoughts create your feelings.  If you choose to think negatively you will feel negative feelings.  Here’s an example.  If you try to make a sale and you don’t get the sale you might walk away from the prospect and think “I’m terrible at sales.”  You will then feel bad and you won’t feel like trying to make another sale. 

Your negative thinking and subsequent bad feelings have completely sapped your energy.  Your thoughts create your feelings which create your energy.  You can be just as honest with yourself and use positive thoughts to increase your energy.  In the last example you could walk away from the prospect and choose to think “I have a gigantic opportunity to improve at selling.”  While this is roughly the same meaning as “I’m terrible at sales” it leaves you with a whole different feeling.  Say them both out loud and see how you feel. 

Your choice of thoughts determines your feelings and your energy level.  Your energy level is your capacity to act.  If you feel good about yourself you then have energy to take actions that lead to reaching your goals.  If you beat yourself up with negative thinking you drain your energy and are unable to act.  You hide out in your comfort zone.

Really successful people have a natural or learned discipline of thinking positively and seeing opportunities in everything.  Henry Ford said, “Whether you believe you will or believe you won’t, you’re right.”   If you want an extreme example of how powerful taking responsibility for your thinking can be then read Viktor Frankl’s 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning.  It changed my life and taught me this lesson.  It is still changing my life.

Successful business owners have disciplined thinking and work hardest on improving their thinking.  “To have a better business you need to be a better business person.”  “It is more important to work on yourself than your business” (Jim Rohn). 

The first discipline is the discipline of constantly working and learning to improve your thinking. 

There’s much more to the story – get a book!  I always recommend Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as a starting point. 

I also put on a seminar (in Northeast Ohio) sharing this and many more lessons from successful business owners.  If you are not in Northeast Ohio search actioncoach.com for someone doing the same in your area.

Here’s the link to the updated flier – now it includes comments of current attendees.  Reenergize Your Profits…
Here is a link to a page of comments by current & prior attendees.
"A Slap in the Face". 

I’m off to take advantage of a great opportunity to improve my thinking – how about you?

Read a good book on thinking Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition).

Dennis