“Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results.”
What does it really take to succeed in life?
Is there a secret “formula” to help you find success in your life? Or is there a “switch” you can just turn on and you will be well on your way to success?
Well, to succeed in life, just remember this:
The most accurate predictor of success in life is your mindset.
These are a set of mental attitudes within you. A collection of thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions that guide your life daily.
These mental attitudes will influence whether or not you achieve your life goals.
Learning to control your mind and managing your thoughts will determine how you will live your life. And the wonderful new is – what you need to help you succeed in life is already within you.
Your thoughts are governed by your mind. This plays a huge role in shaping your mindset. To succeed in life, all you need is the right mindset.
So, the first thing you need to consider is:
How can you cultivate the right mindset?
Those who have achieved success in life appear to have a secret formula. And it has led them to where they are now.
Well, the truth is that there is no secret formula. Those who have found success have a set of mental attitudes to guide them down the right path.
The quickest way to have the right mindset to help you succeed in life is to adopt it. Just find out what mindset successful people have and simply mimic their thought patterns.
No doubt it takes time and effort to change your thought patterns. Although it does not happen overnight, it is a possible.
Here are seven powerful thought patterns of successful people you can emulate:
Thought patterns become beliefs. And belief has a self-fulfilling mechanism. So, your belief will eventually become a reality.
Robin Sharma, the bestselling author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, said this:
“Everything is created twice, the first time in the mind and then in reality.”
Imagine that thoughts can potentially turn something into reality.
Just think of the gadgets and inventions you see every day: smartphones, drones, cars, and airplanes. These were once merely ideas in someone’s head.
Peak performers, high achievers, and successful people are aware that the mind has no limitations. They think “successful thoughts,” knowing that it is a pre-requisite for success.
So, if you want to be in the company of greatness, remember this:
Success must first exist in your head before it can manifest in your life.
Life is about change.
The changing of the seasons. Going to college. Getting married. Getting a new job. Moving into a new home.
These are changes that will occur in your life at some point. Change is an unavoidable aspect of life.
No matter how happy (or unhappy) you are with your current situation, things will change.
Nothing remains the same, and everything is in progress. Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, compared change to a river:
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
Being able to embrace change is being adaptable. This is an essential skill for success and survival. Those who have achieved success in life understand this. The ability to adapt to change provides them an advantage.
Charles Darwin, the naturalist known for his theory of evolution by way of natural selection, once said:
“It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.”
Adopt the thought pattern that “change is the only constant”. Be comfortable with the idea of constantly stepping out of your comfort zone.
This mindset will not only give you a competitive advantage, it will also make you within you.
Napoleon Hill wrote in his 1937 bestselling classic Think And Grow Rich:
“Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve.”
This means that you can create whatever outcome you want. When you actively choose to repeat a thought over and over again until it becomes automatic, that becomes a belief.
Your subconscious mind is activated by your thoughts and imagination. So, always think positively about yourself and the life you wish to live.
Those who have found success in life are primed to put all their effort into achieving positive results. They will not allow the thought of negative consequences to consume their minds.
You need to be aware that every time you have a thought, your brain will create neural connections. With every repetition, these connections grow stronger.
So, what you focus on will keep growing and becoming more powerful.
Every feeling, thought, and experience will impact how your brain is wired and eventually influence what you will become.
Always remember to consciously anchor your thoughts on something uplifting and shape your thoughts in the desired direction.
Have you ever pondered what separates individuals who achieve their goals from those who never do?
A certain level of brain power? A particular skillset?
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck emphasized that success is determined by factors other than intelligence, talent, or education. It’s their mindset, or how they approach problems in life.
In her book, Mindset, she defined two mindsets that determine how people think about themselves. People have either a fixed or a growth mindset, according to Dweck.
Those with a fixed mindset assume that success is a result of inborn talent or expertise in a particular field. They hold the belief that success is attributed to the given talents that someone is born with.
The mindset that all successful people have in common is the growth mindset. They believe that success, growth, and picking up new skills is all possible through effort.
High achievers are driven by a desire to learn and are focused on problem-solving, self-improvement, and hard work.
By adopting this mindset, you will learn how to thrive on challenges, grow through experience, and succeed in life.
Long-term goals and vision are the hallmarks of a high achiever’s thought pattern. They don’t expect success to happen overnight.
Successful people, according to Dr. Edward Banfield, a political scientist who advised three American presidents, have a longer “time perspective.”
In an interview in 2011, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told Wired magazine that:
“If everything you do needs to work on a three-year time horizon, then you’re competing against a lot of people.”
Successful people analyze the long-term effects of their actions and behaviors. Their thought patterns are geared towards their goal and are future-oriented.
Have you thought about where you will be 15, 20, and 30 years from now?
Do you think of what skills you need to pick up or to take a course that will help you advance your career?
To get to the level of a high achiever, think long term and have a life purpose.
Success breeds success. Success brings about a pleasurable feeling that is caused by a surge in dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter.
The brain chemical appears to signal brain cells to keep performing whatever it was that led to success.
And, in the words of Massachusetts Institute of Technology neuroscientist Earl Miller:
“Success has a much greater influence on the brain than failure.”
Success is also contagious. When you surround yourself with people who are driven to succeed, that energy will rub off on you.
As self-made millionaire and author Jim Rohn said:
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
Therefore, mingling with successful individuals will help accelerate your efforts to succeed in life.
Successful individuals will have a strategy that brought them to where they are. Hanging around with them will help you build one as well.
Adopt the mindset that setbacks often go hand in hand with opportunities. So, whenever you face setbacks, expect new and brighter opportunities to come along.
This thought pattern will set you apart and transform you into a high achiever.
All those who succeed in life have had their fair share of setbacks and failures. Accept that failure is a necessary part of your pursuit of achievement.
They treat failures as feedback to help them recalibrate their steps and reassess their goals. When setbacks happen, expect them and accept them as a part and parcel of your eventual success.
Achievers do not linger and dwell on their setbacks; they press on and make adjustments. When negative emotions emerge due to setbacks, successful people acknowledge it, own it, and move on.
They will adjust their mindset to one of optimism and perseverance. When you adopt this thought pattern, you will realize that you do not beat yourself up nor blame others.
Instead, you will find the silver lining in this setback and persist and reach for a higher ground.
There you go. Seven mindsets to get you started in your bid to succeed in life.
Throughout this post, I’ve used the word success numerous times. But what is success?
Is it fame? Fortune? Happiness?
I suppose it’s challenging to define success in a single sentence. This is due to the fact that success is a very personal concept that means different things to different people.
Success is made up of a lot of different components. Financial freedom, a happy family, and traveling around the world are all versions of success.
When we think of success, we often think of fortune, fame and power. But how do the wealthy, famous and powerful define success?
Let’s take a look at how the powerful, rich, and famous define success.
Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha” and the world’s most successful investor, once told shareholders at an annual meeting:
“I measure success by how many people love me.”
Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, wrote:
“In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.”
The former First Lady, Michelle Obama, shared her husband’s version of success at the 2012 Democratic National Convention:
“For Barack, success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
It is important to remember that there is no one definition of success for everyone. We will all define success differently based on our own unique experiences and values.
You, too, will have your own unique definition of success. Only you can determine what success means to you.
But no matter what it means to succeed in life, there is one common denominator. Becoming successful requires the right mindset.
The seven mindsets presented here will assist you in getting started. However, these are not the end-all and be-all of the mindsets required to succeed in life.
The difference between those who succeed and those who do not is their mindset. When you alter your mindset, you alter your behavior.
You will immediately begin to change your behavior as you begin to change your mentality. When your behavior changes, your actions will follow.
Adopting mindsets to succeed in life goes beyond just guiding your journey to achievement and happiness. It also increases your self-esteem, keeps you thinking positively, and helps you live a confident life.
To succeed in life, start making a conscious effort to integrate these mindsets into your mind. It will take some time, but you will be able to assimilate them gradually. Then it will be permanently implanted in your mind.
How will you begin to shift your mindset and make positive changes in your life? You now have the knowledge and power to change your life.
You are in control. It’s all up to you now. All you have to do now is decide.
DISCLOSURE: In my article, I’ve mentioned a few products and services, all in a valiant attempt to turbocharge your life. Some of them are affiliate links. This is basically my not-so-secret way of saying, “Hey, be a superhero and click on these links.” When you joyfully tap and spend, I’ll be showered with some shiny coins, and the best part? It won’t cost you an extra dime, not even a single chocolate chip. Your kind support through these affiliate escapades ensures I can keep publishing these useful (and did I mention free?) articles for you in the future.
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