Our life moves in the direction of our strongest thoughts. Here’s my question for you. Are you excited about the direction your thoughts are taking you?
Here are 2 very different examples of how we can think…
Example 1: “I have so much to do today. It’s so overwhelming. I don’t have enough time in the day. I want to just hit snooze.”
Example 2: “I’m so excited and thankful for a new day. My life has a purpose and I get a chance to fulfill that purpose today. I have great relationships with the people in my life that matter.”
Even just typing the second example gave me positive feelings while the first example made me feel tight and negative.
So much of life isn’t what happens to you but how you think about what happens to you. One person has something “negative” happen to them and they think life is over while another uses it as an opportunity to grow. This isn’t to say that life doesn’t get hard. It does but how we think about it matters.
So, what do you do to make sure you are keeping your thoughts on the right things? There are lots of things you can do. For me, I do things like read and pray.
What I want to focus on today is our attitude toward others. Many people don’t realize how important this factor is. If I’m completely honest, I’ve struggled with this in the past in a particular area. It wasn’t fitness, business, finances, or material things. I would see someone doing really well in this area so I should be happy for them right? I should but that hasn’t always been the case. Sometimes I would get envious. Envy is a terrible trait. I’ve worked hard to become genuinely excited for others when they do well in all areas. I try to really love people and believe the best in them.
Here are 2 examples of how you can think when you see or hear about someone doing well:
Example 1: “They always have good things happen to them while nothing ever works out for me. I’ll always be stuck where I am never making any progress.”
Example 2: “That’s so awesome that they were able to accomplish such an amazing goal. I’m genuinely happy for them. You know, if I work hard like they did I can accomplish some great things too. There really is no reason why I can’t.”
Remember, envy is a waste of time. You are probably not at half capacity of your potential. Decide that you aren’t willing to settle and do what it takes to succeed, whatever that means for you.
Billy Hofacker – Owner & Transformation Coach at Total Body Boot Camp – BS, CSCS