Are Your Thoughts Damaging Your Success?

"In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true." John Lilly.

How are you now that spring is arriving? Is the first of the spring sunshine and the fact that you can now get up in daylight giving you a lift? Many of us find that we begin to think more positively as the hours of daylight and the weather change for the better. But how would you describe your thoughts generally? And do you realise the impact they can have?

There is a modern theory of the Law of Attraction which states that our thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate what happens in our lives. In other words if you believe that a particular situation will have a particular result and you concentrate your thoughts on that belief, then that is what will happen.

Now that concept is difficult for many of us to accept but even if you do not subscribe to it fully it's easy to see how our thought processes affect our behaviour which in turn will affect the situation.

Think about someone who is about to give a presentation:

* 'I am so nervous and everyone will be able to see that'
* 'The finance director is in there and he's a really tough audience. He'll tear me to shreds'
* 'I am rubbish at giving presentations anyway. Why didn't they get Fred to do this?'
* 'I do not want to do this. Help!'

What are the likely results? This person is giving their mind negative messages. These messages will be received and believed by their conscious and subconscious which will then act accordingly. So when they start the presentation they will be shaking, they will not actively seek eye contact, they will um and er , stumble over their words and speak too quickly. So the audience will see that they are nervous and will come to believe that this person is rubbish at presenting. Avoiding eye contact with the finance director or frequently glancing nervously at him will make him suspicious, and he will start to ask tricky questions. Thereby 'confirming' the presenter's belief that he is a tough audience. The presenter is making his beliefs come true!

Compare this to someone who is thinking positively about their upcoming presentation:

* 'I have done all my research and am as prepared as it is possible for me to be'
* 'My audience are interested in what I have to say and want me to present successfully'
* 'That presentation I did last month went well and I learnt a few things from it which I have incorporated into this one.'
* 'A bit of nervousness is a good thing. It shows me I care about this presentation.'
* 'Actually I'm really good at presenting these days and what's more - I enjoy it!'

This person will speak slowly and clearly, they will actively seek out and maintain good eye contact. Their energy levels and positivity will fill the room and be catching. They may even crack a good joke or two! Their thoughts again will become fact.

Think for a moment about a colleague or client you're not too sure about:

* What thoughts do you have about them?
* Honestly how grounded in fact are those thoughts?
* How are those thoughts influencing your behaviour towards them?
* And how is your behaviour influencing theirs towards you?

What about our traditional challenge with time? What are you telling yourself?

* 'I'll never get this done on time!'
* 'There just aren't enough hours in the day'
* 'I have to work 60 hours a week to have even a chance of getting everything done.'

What could happen if you decided 'I will get this done on time'. You would follow that thought with 'ok so how can I do it?' or 'what would need to happen in order for me to get this done on time?'. And from there would follow a whole series of ideas.

So surprising at it may seem, your thought pattern, because it influences your behaviour, can turn something that is in reality just a belief, into cold hard fact.

So let's use the change in seasons - the brighter sunshine, the longer hours of daylight - to influence us into raising our awareness of our thoughts, challenging negative ones and encouraging the positive ones.

And won’t it be interesting to note the differences it makes?