Later this summer I’ll be unveiling a project I’ve been working on for over a year. (Update 2/18/17: I’ve postponed this project for the time being. I’ll let you know if and when I pick it up again. Thank you!)
It’s a compilation of mental exercises to help cultivate an action-oriented mindset. They’re powerful tools to help shift thinking, get unstuck, and begin taking massive action.
Because we all know, it’s the actions we take that produce the success we want in life. But in order to take those actions, we have to first get our thinking right.
Thought is the foundation of all action. So we’ve got to address it, if we want to realize success.
If you haven’t already done so, connect with me on social media. As I’ll be announcing the release of this project on all of my social media venues later this summer. I’m really excited about it!
I developed these exercises for myself, and I’ve been using them for over a year now, and I don’t know where I’d be without them. The fact of the matter is this; if you’re moving toward goals and dreams that are currently outside of your comfort zone (and who isn’t, right?), you’re going to encounter mental resistance. That’s just the way it is.
This is because your self-concept has been built on beliefs you’ve adopted, either consciously or unconsciously, over many years. To realize new goals, however, you’ve got to adopt new beliefs. You’ve got to change.
And here’s where the challenge arises.
Any change (even if it will benefit you and others) is going to meet with BIG resistance.
Because change undermines your deeply ingrained self-concept.
So your mind is going to throw up all kinds of barriers to keep you from realizing your new goals, and growing as a person.
Whether you’re moving toward fitness goals, relationship goals, or career goals, these exercises will help you get the mindset necessary to blast through any resistance your mind offers, and move toward your goals faster, and more effectively, than you ever thought possible.
Success begins within. It begins in the mind, with your thinking. And it ends when you take massive action.
Regardless of how you define success, or what goals and dreams you’ve set for yourself, realize that you’re just like every other successful person on the planet. The only difference is that they have learned how to do one thing better than you have.
What is that one thing?
They’ve learned how to control their thinking.
That’s it.
There’s no magic elixir successful people have, that you don’t have. They face the same struggles and challenges that you face.
They’ve just learned, through hard work and practice, to control their mind, and cultivate thoughts and beliefs that move them through fear, doubt, inertia, indecision, anxiety, worry, and the myriad other illusory thought-forms that hold most people back and keep them stuck where they are.
Below are three of the exercises you’ll find in the book. Let me know how they work for you, either in the comments section below, or via Facebook .
1. Pleasure & Pain:
Realizing success is all about finding the right motivation.
And the two great motivators in life are pleasure and pain. In everything we do, we’re either moving toward pleasure, or away from pain. There’s nothing else. Everything we do is the result of one of these motivating factors, or a combination of both.
It’s been said that pain is a better motivator than pleasure, by 2-to-1, so introducing some pain into your consciousness is critical to realizing the success you want.
In fact, if you study successful people, you’ll find that in most cases, it was their pain that motivated them the most (and continues to motivate them) to work smart, and hard, to realize their goals. The pain could be in any form, from an unhappy childhood, to living in poverty conditions. Any type of pain is a great motivator.
Here’s how it works…
Ask yourself these questions: What pain (or impending pain), can I use to motivate myself to get up and take action? And… what future pleasure can I use to motivate me?
For example…
Are you in physical pain, from inactivity, lack of exercise, or a poor diet? If so, use that pain to get up and start exercising and eating clean, wholesome foods.
Are you experiencing psychological pain, or frustration because of debt? Well, use that pain to get up and get more money coming in. Then pay off your debt once and for all.
Do you dread going to work? Use that dread, and pain, to motivate yourself to get a different job, or better yet, start a side-business.
To use this technique effectively, my recommendation to you is this:
Every morning, mix yourself a potent cocktail of pleasure (what you want) & pain (what you don’t want), and drink it down (i.e. think about it).
Do this every morning before you start your day. You’ll be astonished at the results, and at your ability to work, and work, and work, toward your goal.
2. Channel the Greats:
No matter what field you’re in, or what endeavor you’re embarking upon, there are (or were) greats in the field that you can channel. Channeling them means embodying their essence, nature, drive, and determination. It means embodying any characteristics, qualities, or attributes that made them great.
Do you aspire to be a champion bodybuilder? Channel Schwarzenegger’s drive, determination, confidence, and presence on stage.
Want to be a world class writer? Channel Hemingway’s command of the written word.
Want to be successful with members of the opposite sex? Channel Don Juan’s or Cleopatra’s seductiveness, charisma, and charm.
You can channel anyone you can think of. The key to remember about this exercise is this; you’re connected to everyone who has ever lived, or ever will live. We all come from the same source. Beyond our individual consciousness is the super-consciousness, that we all have access too. This is the key to channeling the greats. Use your imagination to integrate the qualities that made the men and women in your field great, and then go out there and do your thing!
3. If Youth Only Knew & If Age Only Could:
You’ve heard this one right?
This statement defines one of the great comedies, or tragedies, (depending on your point of view) of life. Youth typically lacks wisdom, and old age typically lacks energy.
The goal of this exercise is to combine the two to realize more success. This exercise is geared toward the older set, because it helps them cultivate a youthful, energetic mindset, full of wonder and anticipation for the future. When you do this exercise, it’ll put you right at the intersection of the energy of youth, and the wisdom of age. This means that you’ll capture the wonder and vigor of youth, while retaining the wisdom and understanding of age.
Whatever age you are, you can start right now to realize your goals. There are many examples of successful people who didn’t embark upon their crowning success until they were well into their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and beyond.
There’s just no age that is ‘too old’ to go for what you want in life.
Here’s how to perform this exercise…
As a person of age, knowing what you know now, about the preciousness of life, and just how fast it can move, think of a time when you were younger. I find the teenage years to be a good time-frame to re-visit. At this time, you had your whole life ahead of you, but you probably didn’t appreciate the value of this.
But I’ll bet you do now.
With this age in mind, take whatever goal or dream you currently have and infuse it with that energy and vitality you enjoyed in your youth. This will give you a burst of energy and get you excited again. It’ll amp you up, and make you appreciate the present moment, and the time you do have left on earth.
There’s simply no excuse not to start today.
To re-cap, success is the result of thinking & doing.
Thoughts + Actions = Results
You can’t have success unless both components are in play.
But it begins with your thinking, or mindset.
In closing,
“Controlling your thinking ,and developing a success mindset, is the foundation of all great achievements.” If you can master this, you’re 80% there.”
Until next time, I wish you much success!
Mark
