Are you down, upset, or frustrated with your lack of success? Does the winless pursuit of your dreams keep you in a state of doubt and mental fatigue? If you answered yes to any of those questions it could actually be the direct cause of your failures.
You have probably heard countless times that 80% of success is mental and 20% of it is physical. Perhaps you heard this and quickly decided to agree or disagree without any real examination of the studies. Given that the 2017 human attention span is said to be between 8- 12 seconds most likely you haven’t taken the time to truly dive into this understanding.
Living in a world that focuses on physical attributes we can easily forget how powerful the mind truly is. Let’s face it most of our lives we focus on attracting people to us for one reason or another. These may be romantically motivated, status motivated, business motivated or simply for vain reasoning. Often times when building a brand, a business or promoting our crafts to the world we work hard to look the part without having true internal reinforcements. Everyone knows an extremely beautiful woman who lacks confidence or the guy who lives in the gym to make his body strong while lacking the mental growth and discipline for life.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right,”- Henry Ford
It starts in the mind
We have to understand we spend all day long inside of our own heads. We are having thoughts so fast and so often we can’t remember them all by the end of the day. What are you saying to yourself? What are you thinking about while you are working towards your goals? While you are studying for a test, promoting your music, developing business strategy or in the heat of a challenge what are you thinking? If you are thinking and dwelling on the question “What if I fail” Then most likely you have already failed. I once heard Undefeated Boxer Floyd Mayweather say “The thought of what if I lose never enters my mind”. With that statement alone he clearly knows no matter how hard he trains he has to be sure that his mind is the strongest and fastest muscle on his body.
You have to think about your goal as if you have already achieved it, as if you are simply walking toward what has already been done. See the clear vision in your mind and never let any negative thoughts sink in regarding these goals. Close your eyes and see the win, see the success and feel the euphoria as if you have walked into the victory. NBA Champion Kyrie Irving said before his game winning championship shot “ I always wanted to live inside of a game 7". He had imagined himself taking that game winning shot years and years before it actually manifested into his life.
In the 1990s, actor and movie mogul Tyler Perry was living in Atlanta, trying to stage the play that would get him famous, “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” After using up all of his savings, he became homeless, on and off for a period of 6 years, living in his car until he finally got his big break. He could have easily used that money to look the part and to make sure he had a home and the things he needed. But his positive belief pushed him to the edge to put it all on the line. Not many people can stay positive and work on their dreams while they are living out of a car. Can you imagine the frustration, doubt and pity he could have chose to drown in? He could have easily given up, got a job and headed back to a regular life to preserve his image in the public’s eye; but his positive belief in what he was doing would not let him cave. In this event in his life it didn’t matter how attractive he was, how fit he was, what kind of clothes he was wearing, how hard he worked, or what new methods he had. Nothing could help him survive the PROCESS except for his mind and will.
Remember when waking up each day you have to reprogram yourself. Start by being thankful for the things you have and the things you are walking towards. You have to keep the faith and belief in your endeavors even in your darkest moments. When the doors won’t open, when the obstacles are building and when all feels hopeless you have to hold on to the belief that you will achieve greatness. Keep a positive mind, positive relationships and a positive outlook on all that you do. Always remember that greatness is truly a daily decision.