Negative thoughts enter our mind all the time. It’s inevitable. We are human. Even the most positive person in the world still hears and thinks the negative before getting to the positive.
The only difference between a person who trusts the positive versus a person who frequently gives in to the negative, is that one who truly has faith in the positive can reach that solid mindset much faster. AND, the clincher is that he or she can hold it in that particular mind-frame for a much longer period of time; thus becoming more consistent at thinking positively, all the time. After a while, this positive way of thinking and feeling can be kick-started at any moment, preferably, as soon as a negative thought or feeling enters the body.
Take, for instance, marathon training. In the beginning, a novice runner can only run about 1 to 2 miles at about 10 minutes per mile. Given they follow the Hal Higdon Training Plan, in one week a newbie runner can withstand about 1 – 2 miles without feeling like she’s huffing and puffing. Then, in 2 weeks, her body can handle 2 – 3 miles, with some suffering – yet, doable! Then, in 3 weeks, the body of a novice runner is ready to handle 3 miles flat (“my accountant handles that” – Biggie Smalls), easily. Even more so, a runner is now in a place to increase in speed as well as endure more mileage. Training success.
I quote/refer to Notorious because as you enter this level of training, your body and mind become SO incredibly confident, that it can’t be shaken. You suddenly see yourself crossing finish lines and feeling the flow of handling the miles to come; and yet, you only conquered 3 miles. Some of the most successful people never worry about the details. Leaders of our past. Rappers of the 90s. Entrepreneurs of today. It’s all about using each mile marker as an accomplishment, to fuel the positivity for the next. And to keep going at this rate, you must never give in to the negative. Only picture the positive happening. Believe in it. Trust it. Stay true to it.
“Phone bill about two G’s flat
No need to worry, my accountant handles that […]”– Biggie Smalls
Positive thinking (which is really a strategy for diminishing fears and pushing away negative energy), is like building endurance in a race. It is completely doable, the more you practice and build up to it. It is completely realistic, even though at first 26.2 miles seems insane. But, if you were to look at all end results like that, as “insane”, you would never take a leap in that direction. So, what should you do to achieve all these “far-fetched” dreams of yours? Just look at the dream as a marathon and train yourself for the miles ahead.
If you can get yourself to think like this, it will be a crucial alteration in your way of thinking and believing. On a grander scale, I believe if more people can think this way, then it will end the wave of anxiety that has seemed to paralyze many of our peers. I have set out, to end this wave of anxiety by being who I am and teaching what I know. It needs to be stopped for many reasons – for all of our own dreams to come true and for all of our accomplished dreams to inspire others to do the same for themselves.
Each time one of us accomplishes a dream, it gives back to those around the world.
It sends a wave of inspiration and faith that others near you cannot deny. This wave of inspiration has the ability to get more people on board with this way of going at life, or this way of thinking. Therefore, every time you live your life for you, your inspiration is helping someone else to do the same. Much like how a simple post on Facebook of you traveling can inspire someone to take up traveling for herself – our lives and the process in which we accomplish goals can do the same. Every time I write, another person may take up writing. Every time I smile, another person might smile. Every time I courageously hug a person, they are more willing to pass that love along too (or soak it up for herself).
Like anything else, inspiration only goes so far. Which is why, the next step is to turn inspiration into action. In order to do this, you must own up to your own fears, negativities, and worries. I write mine down at night in a column on the left under a negative sign (the minus sign) and force myself to write the exact opposite in a column across from it, under a positive sign (the plus sign). I used to have my students do the same, to train their minds to break a negative belief in themselves. For example, one student was insecure about his weight. In the left, he wrote, “Everyone doesn’t take me seriously because I am fat.” After some crying and talking with me, he wrote on the right side, “I am not fat. I just don’t take myself seriously.” This is where we started of course and there is more to the story. But, this simple practice of negative to positive will reveal truths, little formulas, that have been ingrained in your mind for whatever reason. Then, you simply work at the positive column until that negative column is depleted. With this particular student, I helped him set some goals for “taking himself more seriously.” He not only improved academically, and became more confident specifically with public speaking, but he took up football and shed about 10 pounds by the end of the year. He also stopped fumbling so much in football, which I believe was a nervous tick due to his own insecurities haunting him.
Like my little student, you can conquer each negative thought like you were practicing a new skill, or crafting a new habit. And I am here to explain, that YES, it does take practice just like anything else … training … consistency … data … motivation … discipline … and a good amount of FAITH. Faith in something greater than you to keep YOU going hard. Like water. You need water in order to hydrate so that the rest of your body can function accordingly. That’s what faith – believing in something – does for you. You need FAITH like you need water. YOU can only handle so much. And when you just can’t get past a hurdle, you have to utilize a foundation, like a rejuvenation center, to fuel it all back up. I found faith in the ocean, in my friends, in my family – but then one day I just admitted that all of those things were connected. And on a more personal note, I made a pact to follow that feeling wherever I went, no matter where it took me. Been on that path ever since.
“THIS IS ALL I DESIRE, TO BE WHERE GOD WANTS ME TO BE.”
-Frederick Baraga
You must believe in something. You must have an anchor in order to bring you back to the positive, dreaming mindset. A mind that truly makes dreams REALITIES. You must have a cushion that catches your fall and bounces you back up. The road is rocky. The mountains are high. And that is part of the purpose of life. You cannot live a second life – go to heaven – die happy (whatever you believe) – you cannot do any of that, without some freaking hustle. But in the UNEASY of the hustle, there is a state of PURE JOY. It is a joy of knowing you are being true to yourself. That you are pushing yourself to get the most out of this life and share it with everyone you know. We must push ourselves to endure the uneasy, get into that enduring running zone, and then LET THE REST PLAY OUT. And that is where the true joy lies. When you just trust and believe in the dreams becoming realities, the future beholds an even better reality than you envisioned.
Speaking from personal experience, I have received more out of the past 7 years than I ever envisioned. I saw myself running, playing volleyball again, making a ton of friends, going to mass more, spending time with the ocean, and with my family…but I did not see the details. I did not see how it would lead me to writing, meeting hundreds of mentors and accomplished people, becoming an exquisite teacher, sharing my story, learning about the business world, becoming a little sage for myself and for others, and living on the East Coast. And I definitely did not know how it was going to feel – like actual heaven on earth. Stay tuned for how to give back after you’ve received so much.
Train Hard. Play Hard. Believe it to Retrieve it.