Staying Positive In A Negative World

[sewak sikh]

You're used to "the news" by now in the last few years: "This is a

tough environment." "Unemployment continues to rise." "People are

working harder than ever with less to show for it." By regularly

listening to the news you may start to question whether the sky is

actually falling.

(Don't worry -- it isn't.)

High achievers know it's critical to maintain a positive mental

outlook, no matter what's going on around them. So how do you develop

and maintain this attitude?

Here are some ideas I use personally to stay positive in a negative

world:

1. Mission Statement The starting point of all high achievement is a

clear sense of purpose. So your Mission Statement is like "your

personal pledge of allegiance" -- it

describes who you are and what you are all about.

The first thing I do with all of my clients is to have them develop a

Mission Statement, then have them commit it to memory and recite it

every morning. Why? Napoleon Hill, in his classic book Think and Grow

Rich, stated, "Any idea, plan or purpose may be placed in the mind

through repetition of thought."

2. Affirmations To become a "legend in your own time," you must first

be a legend in your own mind. One way to do this is to use

Affirmations: repetition of positive statements in the present tense

as if they are already a fact.

A simple example is to affirm, "I am a top achiever!" Many people are

reluctant to engage in using affirmations, perhaps in part because

they have seen Stuart Smalley doing "Daily Affirmations" on the TV

show Saturday Night Live -- a hilarious parody done by comedian Al

Franken which made using affirmations appear moronic.

Yet Brian Tracy, a world leader in personal development training,

says that he personally uses affirmations on a daily basis. So who

are you gonna believe on this matter -- Franken (no longer on the

air) or Tracy?

3. Goals review There's a famous 20-year study of Harvard graduates

that demonstrated the power of goal setting: researchers found that

only 3% of a graduating class had clearly written goals.

20 years later they documented that this group of goal- setters had

accumulated more wealth than the other 97% combined. This is not lost

on high achievers, who commit clear goals to writing and review them

regularly.

4. Visualization One of the important skills taught to professional

athletes is mentally picturing specific successful outcomes (i.e. the

perfect golf swing) in a

meditative state. So if this skill is being taught to millionaire

athletes, why would it be any different for you?

Visualize closing a big deal, seeing your name at the top of the

production chart, being congratulated by the boss, etc.

5. Positive mental input Take on the challenge of a "media fast" for

a week -- shut off the TV, ignore the newspaper, avoid commercial

radio, etc. Most media in designed to "addict" you to their

programming without benefit to you.

As an example, suppose you listened to talk radio in the morning --

anybody from Rush Limbaugh to Howard Stern.

Question: How much money has listening to them put in YOUR pocket?

(Answer: NONE!) So I suggest you replace this negative input with

reading success books, listening to motivational audio programs from

Nightingale-Conant Corporation and attending skill-building seminars.

This will have a positive effect on your attitude AND your bottom

line.

6. Physical exercise High achievers understand the importance of

staying in shape.

Just like professional athletes, the ones who make it to the top know

they must keep themselves fit. And a regular workout regimen has a

multitude of benefits -- it reduces stress, clears the mind, builds

endurance and provides that "look of a winner" for attracting and

keeping business.

It makes no difference what form of exercise you choose, just as long

as you enjoy it enough to do it 4 - 5 times a week.

7. Positive support group Unlike magnets, likes attract. So if you

want to be a high achiever, start hanging out with them, not with the

also-ran characters that hang around the water cooler -- you'll be

guilty by association.

One assignment I give my clients is to identify successful people in

their company, then invite them to lunch to find out what they're

doing. Most high achievers are flattered by invitations to share

their success stories.

One final word -- if becoming a top producer was EASY, everyone would

do it -- and then it would be worth the equivalent of flippin'

burgers at your local fast food

joint. The people who use the ideas I've described here KNOW how to

stay positive in a negative world ... and they're the ones you'll see

at the top.