Developing A Success Mentality

Is success all in your head? Tony Robbins is known for saying “If you’re in your head, you’re dead!” Everyone in the personal development industry will tell you your mindset will determine your degree of success. 

Your habit of thinking builds momentum over time. The more you focus on negativity, the more negative you will become. The opposite is also true and life has a way of responding to whatever you put out into the universe. That’s called The Law of Attraction, which like the law of gravity is a force you cannot buck with any degree of comfort.

Here are some tips for getting out of your head and onto the path of least resistance toward success.

Find Water: The other day, I was very frustrated over some business deals I’ve been trying to secure. Most days I’m good at righting my emotional ship, but that particular day was especially tough for me. So, what did I do? I went to the waterfront. Water has a way of soothing the soul. If you are able to take a walk along a beach, stream, or boardwalk, then go there and do it. You will feel instantly better.

Exercise Outdoors: Take a bike ride, go for a run, swing a golf club, walk in the forest or do anything physical to change your focus. If fresh air is involved it will be even better. Fresh air sends more oxygen to the blood, gets your lungs working at full capacity and and feeds your brain. That means your cognitive function improves, and your mental state also gets a lift. 

Garden: This is another outdoor activity that is good for your mental health for the same reasons listed above, but you also have the satisfaction of completing a project and seeing improvement in something, which gives you an additional mental boost.

Meditation: If you meditate every day, you have the additional benefit of being able to stay out of your head rather than getting in it and having to get out. Essentially, with meditation, you are setting the tone for your day. Daily meditation also changes your brain chemistry so you will become naturally better at coping with stress and being clear minded. Think calm, cool and collected.

Affirmations: It is important to script your own self-talk. Most of us without even realizing it, accept the things we heard about ourselves all of our lives. For some strange reason, humans love to judge people and tell them with great authority how they think and feel. Of course, that’s a ridiculous and mean-spirited thing to do.  There is no way in Hell anyone can know what you are thinking or feeling about anything. The best way to overcome the negative ideas you have come to believe about yourself is to change your inner dialogue. Believe it and live it and repeat it to yourself endlessly. Find proof in your life of times when you did something positive and remind yourself constantly that you are smart, good, strong, etc. Focus on the good and ignore the negativity. Do it every day.

Stop Talking About Your Shit: The fastest way to get out of your head is to stop living there. Every time you tell someone your miserable story, you reinforce your negative pattern of thinking. Your brain will strengthen those neuropathways so that over time, you develop a habit of negativity. Depression is the result of a long-practiced habit of negativity. The thinking preceded the problem, believe it or not.  You weren’t born depressed. You acquired the problem. That’s why medication alone is not a cure for chronic depression. Doctors will always tell you to change your thinking habits and to get exercise. 

Start practicing positive thinking by stopping yourself from talking ad nauseum about your shit. Get off the subject and ask yourself what you want and what you like and focus on that. So, for example, instead of talking about how your boss is a jerk, talk about the aspects of your work that you enjoy and focus on finding a situation that suits you more. Express your desire to work in a fun environment for a boss who appreciates your efforts and never mind talking about all the times you were done wrong.

Successful people are positive people. They are happy and they feel successful. Success is having and appreciation for what you have accomplished rather than downplaying the importance of your achievements. 

Here’s one last tip. Take the time to uplift others and acknowledge their accomplishments without envy. Give sincere praise to everyone you meet who has achieved something you would like to be able to achieve.