YOU CAN DO IT!

Hey now!
Today, I'm going to write about motivation. I think that most of the time we are fairly happy in our lives and the choices we've made. Perhaps not. It's very possible that some of us are unhappy with our lives and have no idea how to get out of the ruts that we are in. Who knows? But today I have a message of hope to impart to you and a tip or two to positively move on. And trust me, no New Age guru bullcrap. Just some practical thoughts.

THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT
Recently, I've been reading some business books in order to change my way of thinking and hopefully get me to a place where I could leave America's railroad. Many of us, including myself, go through life wondering why our lives are not what we expect them to be. We get dissatisfied with our jobs, our personal relationships, our place in the world. We wonder who is to blame for our present situation and, at times, adopt a "Oh, Woe is me" attitude, which can lead to despair or apathy.

The Law of Cause and Effect states: Everything happens for a reason. For every effect there is a specific cause. Do not misunderstand this. It is not a New-Agey power of the universe thing. It is not the "God has a reason for everything" answer. It's about you (or us). We, individually, are the cause of things that happen in our lives. The way you think about things or view certain situations affect the outcome and many times determine the effects of things around you. Essentially, you create your entire world by the way you think.

What does this drivel mean? It means that when you set your mind to viewing things in a positive way, and expect good things and outcomes, they will generally turn out in a positive way. When you go through life with an upbeat, positive air about you, people get drawn to you and take confidence in having you around. This increases your confidence in yourself, because you believe you can accomplish anything. People that go through life bitter, fearful, and pessimistic, generally end up getting what they think. Disappointment. True, you at least don't get negative surprises when you are pessimistic.

HOW DO WE GO ABOUT STAYING POSITIVE?
Very simply, we must find a way to change our thinking. This can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. One way is NOT to "pre-judge." You must try not to go into life's situations with any pre-conceived notions. Keeping an open mind is the only way to successfully deal with the things that happen. Whether it's our love lives, our careers, or our recreational activities, we have to be open to deal positively with the things that go in in all situations.

Wallowing in self-pity accomplishes nothing. That may sound cliche', but really, it is a strong truth. Hey, we're all human, and we don't have to like or accept the bad or unfortunate things that happen in our lives. So, go ahead and give yourself 5 minutes to hate, despair, feel pity, cry, whatever. Then it's time to "hike up your pants" and get busy with a solution. The sooner you start working on a positive path, or solution, the sooner you can successfully move on with your life. Don't believe me? Why don't you test it out. The next time some unfortunate thing happens in your life, give yourself the 5 minutes to be miserable. Then come back to reality and start looking at positive ways to handle what's going on. Do not dwell on the self-limiting thoughts. Self-limiting thoughts act like brakes, stopping you in your tracks every time. Get rid of self-doubt and fear. The sooner you work towards a solution the better.

Confucius said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." You've got to start someplace. And only YOU can make the start. There comes a time that we have to stop relying on others and take the helm of responsibility and rely on ourselves for success. It's time to reject ANY limiting thoughts, whether from other people or from inside ourselves. If someone gives you an answer of "No," you must continue to move on till you find the answer "Yes." By beginning to expect the best and expect positives, I believe we can all achieve what we set out to do.

Remember, there is only one thing in life that you can actually control. And that one thing is the way that you think. You, yourself, are in control of the way you think. And it is the way we think that determines how successful we are in our life's situations. "Yes I Can," Yes We Will," or "I probably can't," "We probably won't." Whichever path you choose, is the end you'll get. I honestly believe that. And although it doesn't always seem as cut and dried as that. We can each make it that cut and dried. Like Nike's ad says, "Just Do It." Do our sports heroes, or our successful business moguls, or award-winning actors think they can't accomplish a certain task? The athlete wins a championship because they believe they can. The businessman is successful because he believes he can close the deal. The actor wins an Oscar because he/she believed in the role and immersed themself into and bought-into the role they were playing. Did someone else do these tasks for them? No, they took it on themselves, believed in the work and accomplished the task.

Only by taking it on, having belief in ourselves and adopting a positive mind-set can we all be successful in our lives. Get rid of the self-doubt. Get rid of the limiting fear. Get rid of the apathy and woe. It's all inside of you. You can do it AND you know it. How do we know it?
BECAUSE LEN IS RIGHT, of course.

You've taken the first step to success and happiness.....you are here reading Len Is Right. That makes You right. See?.....You can do it. You already are.

In future posts, I will talk about goal setting and staying motivated. And you'll be here to read it, my friends. Why? Because you are smart and only smart people hang out at LEN IS RIGHT.

Be at peace.
I am,
Len Tollerton