The Secret That Isn’t
One idea about personal effectiveness has been the basis for more than 200 million books sold and counting.
Over the last century, authors, speakers, pastors, and influencers have continued to promote this idea to successive generations of people with extraordinary impact. Notables Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, Zig Ziglar, Louise Hay, Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor and Rhonda Byrne, among others, have all carried this same message. It appears that one idea is worth repeating—over and over.
In a nutshell, the idea is this: The power of positive thinking can transform one’s life and lead to success and happiness.
While it has been well-established that positive thoughts do indeed have a tremendous influence on our attitudes, actions and outcomes, those who best promote this idea go one step further. They insist that a positive mindset helps people create the outcomes they desire.
Some authors, such as Byrne, have even gone as far as to suggest that positive thoughts and beliefs can attract positive experiences, people, and opportunities. While that may be an overreach, even the skeptics admit that our thoughts have a profound impact on our ability to succeed. Because our thoughts shape our reality, maintaining a stream of positive thoughts can have a profound impact on the results we achieve.
If our most dominate thoughts define us, then successful people work hard to eliminate or replace negative ones. They purposely chose optimistic and empowering thoughts over pessimistic and disempowering ones.
The bottom line is this: Taking responsibility for what we think is of the utmost importance.
While thinking positively does not guarantee results, it sure doesn’t hurt. We become what we think. People like to read and listen to that message. Maybe that’s because it is a timeless secret that keeps getting shared.
I remain skeptical of the claims made regarding the power of positive thinking. The people mentioned in this post all have one thing in common: They sell books, programs, and speaking gigs. People are lazy and they want to take Easy Street on their way to The Good Life instead of putting in the hard work it takes to achieve results. Positive thinking can help, but I will choose Doing over Thinking/Feeling every time. I don't wait until I'm in the mood to do something. I focus on how I will think/feel after I've done something difficult rather than how I feel right now and this has made all the difference.
I am hesitant of these types of writers. While optimism can be useful, true grit doesn't come from optimism (in my experience). In dealing with illness and/or other hardships, the listed authors' advice is interesting at best. We grow and overcome by implementing the STOCKDALE PARADOX (coined by Jim Collins. Named after Vice-Admiral James Stockdale). While optimists tend to shy away from hard truths, skeptics, pessimists, and realists often confront them. So the the real question is do we want to manipulate people or genuinely grow and lead by example?
Thank you for your time.
Happy 4th.