In 1932 an author named Napoleon Hill wrote an inspirational book called ‘Think and Grow Rich’ which is one of the most influential personal development books of all time.
One of the famous quotes from this book is:
There is one word in this quote that is more important than any other…the word believe.
For most of us it’s relatively easy to ‘conceive’ grand visions of financial wealth and prosperity but it is another thing entirely to actually believe that these things are truly possible.
The secret ingredient for achieving success in every area of your life is – BELIEF
Before you achieve any goal, you must first truly believe that it is possible and that you will achieve success.
But this is easier said than done, which leads us to the important question -
"How do I develop a sense of genuine belief in myself and my goals?"
The most effective method for developing a sense of belief in yourself and your ability to reach your goals, is to continually feed your mind with positive and uplifting material in the form of books, audio CDs and seminars.
A good way to think of this is to look at the analogy of food and the impact it has on our bodies. When we fill our stomachs with ‘junk food’, our body becomes unhealthy and incapable of operating effectively.
The same thing happens with our mind. When we fill our brain with ‘mental junk food’ our minds become distracted and we tend to develop a negative view of the world.
Unfortunately our society reinforces this negativity by constantly bombarding us with negative images and stories in the popular media.
So what’s the answer?
Compare these two scenarios:
Scenario #1: You wake up in the morning, switch on the TV and while eating your breakfast you watch the latest reports of terrorist bombings, floods, crime and celebrity gossip. As you drive to work you listen to talk back radio and the latest top 40 countdown. On the weekend you watch more TV, read the newspaper and go out to watch the latest hollywood block buster.
Scenario #2: You wake up in the morning and while eating your breakfast, you read a few pages of an inspirational book. As you drive to work, you listen to a motivational audio CD. On the weekend you exercise, spend time with your friends and family and attend a motivational seminar.
Which scenario do you think is more conducive to achieving success?
The three most effective ways to develop the positive mindset that you need to follow through and transform your dreams into reality are:
(1) To regularly read inspirational books
(2) To regularly listen to inspirational audio CDs
(3) To regularly attend inspirational seminars and talks
You’ll notice that I used the word ‘regularly’ in each of these sentences. Some people have the mistaken belief that they should be able to transform their mindset by reading ONE book or by attending ONE seminar.
They say things like, "Well, I went to that seminar and I’m not rich, so clearly the seminar doesn’t work!"
This is like saying, "Well I went to the gym once and I’m not fit, so clearly the gym doesn’t work!"
In the same way that it takes time and consistent effort to develop a healthy body, it also takes time and consistent effort to develop a positive success oriented mindset.
There are a lot of inspirational and motivational books available today and you will find a selection of them at your local library or bookshop.
Today’s Action Steps:
(1) Start building your own success library of books and audio CDs.
(2) Begin your day by reading a few pages of an inspirational book while you eat breakfast.
(3) End your day by reading a few pages of an inspirational book before you sleep.
(3) Start listening to inspirational audio CD’s while driving in your car.
(4) Attend success oriented talks and seminars when you get a chance.
Until next time,
Dare To Dream!
Anthony
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