Real Life Real Faith Men of Faith November/December | Page 15

There is no doubt that you have probably hit many road and stumbling blocks along your journey to
wellness. The best part about that is, you have overcome some of those same stumbling blocks, maybe
not all; but, some. I first want to congratulate you on the success you had and offer you some
encouragement and quick thoughts to help you become much more successful on that path in the very
near future.
One of the first things you must do is change your thinking. You must think like other great thinkers, and
great thinkers have three things in common. 1) They are frustrated with the status quo. The norm or the
“go with the flow”, is something that bothers a great thinker. If you have ever asked yourself why
something is done this way. You might already be a great thinker. 2) They have a great curiosity and
fascination. 3) Lastly great thinkers have fluid minds of imagination that allows them to think well
beyond the realm of possibility. So trust the stumbling blocks will come; however, if we change our
thought process and maybe the approach to how we handle those stumbling blocks the outcome does
not result in quitting- the outcome results in overcoming quickly and forcefully so you can feel
empowered.

To be successful, you must be persistent in your approach to life and your success. Persistence
is how you change behavior. You overcome learned helplessness by being persistent towards
success. Learned helplessness is a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of
powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to
be one of the underlying causes of depression.Learned Optimism is the goal. It is the idea in
positive psychology that a talent for joy, like any other, can be cultivated. Learning optimism is
done by consciously challenging any negative self-talk.POSITIVE VISULAIZATION LEADS TO
POSITIVE REALIZATION. Essentially, positive self-talk builds self-image, which controls and
optimized your success performance, which stimulates more positive self-talk. The best part
about this approach is it can be learned and it is quickly adoptable to your life.

On this path, even though it may be narrow and dark you must erase all your fear. Fear stands
for: False Education Appearing Real. Fear must be cold and have subzero temperature, because
it freezes people. Deer are famous for freezing right before a car hits them. Like that situation,
freezing in place isn’t a smart strategy in life. PROGRESS PAVES THE WAY TO SUCCESS. If it takes
10,000 hours to master something (as Malcolm Gladwell suggests) and fear makes us do
nothing, then fear needs to go. Face your fears head on and you’ll find success right behind
them. Overcoming fear is success and it opens the door for more.
These strategies maybe things you have already considered or things you already knew and just
never p ut them into practice. Do not wait until the holiday season is over to adopt these
principals. Start small, start with writing a confident card that you read to yourself repeatedly
throughout the day. It should read “I will ______because I am determined to win and be
successful. I am powerful, I am amazing, and I am will overcome all obstacles in front of me.”
Even something that simple spoken daily could erase all negative talk and replace it with bold
confidence. I hope you enjoyed the read and the strategies. And remember, “Take Action”.