Growth Insider

You Are What You Think

potential

Have you ever wondered why some people are successful yet others are not?

We all have theories. We may think successful people are smarter. We may think they were given better opportunities. Some people just have bad luck. We might think that education makes all the difference. Or maybe we believe that people don’t succeed because they are lazy.

In his book, "Thinking for a Change", John Maxwell says that he's been looking for answers to what makes a person successful his whole life. To help us focus on a possible answer, he shares a story about two sisters and how they think differently.

One sister is accepted into pharmacy school and is extremely excited about the opportunity. The other sister is happy for her, but also feels sorry for her because she's going to have to go to school for four more years. The first sister chooses to think positively about the upcoming experience. She looks to the future and sees opportunity. The second sister chooses to think negatively. She looks to the future and sees hardship.

Successful people think differently.

They look for the potential in their experiences and do not focus on difficulties. You could call this "good thinking" because that's what the thinking does. It makes good things happen.

Maxwell encourages us to embrace good thinking. He says if we do that, it will have a positive impact on every aspect of our lives.

Good thinking sets the foundation for good results and it increases your potential. But there's more. Good thinking produces more good thinking. The only thing you have to do is make it a habit.

So how can you make good thinking a habit? Maxwell recommends the following:

1. Expose yourself to good thinkers.

2. Choose to think good thoughts.

3. Expose yourself to good input.

4. Act on your good thoughts.

5. Allow your emotions to create another good thought.

6. Then repeat the process!

In his book, Maxwell takes us though the Eleven Thinking Skills every successful person needs. I encourage you to pick up the book and read it for yourself. You may even want to share it with a friend.