Negative Self-talk is Too Expensive

I'm always fascinated by the people who lift huge weights, particularly in competitions like the Olympic Games. There are events for men and women and they get up on stage to lift a bar with huge weights attached. I often wonder what sort of things they're saying to themselves as they pace up and down, rubbing their hands with resin powder and taking huge breaths.

What if they were saying - "That looks really heavy - it's heavier than anything I've lifted before. I'll probably drop it, make a real fool of myself and even injure myself to boot?.!"

Do you know what's going to happen if they say all this stuff to themselves? Their subconscious will say - "Okay, you say you're going to drop it. Then, that's what I'll arrange - and I'll try to make sure you injure yourself at the same time."

Of course, that isn't what happens. This weight lifter, who's trained for years to do precisely this thing, is screaming at himself internally - "You're going to lift that bar and push it right through the ceiling! You're going to break the world record! You're going to win this competition and everyone in the world will see you doing it!"

In the day-to-day tasks that we face in our life, we should be no different from these sportsmen and women. Think negative thoughts and that's what your subconscious will focus upon.

If you think illness, you'll become ill. If you think gloom and doom - that's what you'll get. But if you think health, happiness and success - you're already there.

"Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be" - Abraham Lincoln.

I read this quote some years ago and I know some people have a problem with it. We all face difficult situations in our lives and some people more than others. However, I've made up my mind to be as happy as I can and I recommend you do the same.

Focus on the positive things in your life - the things you can do - not the things you can't. Think about what you've achieved in the past - not what you haven't. Look at where you're going - not where you've been

There's a story about a young man who was really into positive thinking. His workmates used to make a fool of him and of course, he was challenged by their taunts. He told them one day that positive self-talk was so powerful that if he told himself he could fly through the air, he'd be able to fly.

"Prove it" they cried. So off he went, up to the 20th floor of the building they worked in. He jumped off and was heard to cry as he went past a 10th floor window - "Well, it's all going great so far."

That sort of thinking isn't what this article is about. I sometimes get tired of hearing people say - "Think positive." What I'm suggesting is that - in all the things we face in life, we focus on the positive aspects.

Say for example a customer complains to you about some aspect of your product or service. It's so easy to think - "We've messed up, we're going to lose this customer's business, this is a disaster!"

It's far better to think - "Okay, we've made a mistake, what can we learn from this so that we don't do it again and make our service even better."

Ironically, it's often the case that if you solve a customer's problem, apologise and recover well, the customer will forgive you and become even more loyal.

Here's another example of what I mean: Say you were to discover a small lump in some part of your body - or a mark on your skin. Positive thinking might cause us to say - "It's nothing, I'll leave it and it'll go away by itself."

Negative thinking, on the other hand, would have us say - "Oh no! I've got cancer, I'm going to be in pain and misery and I might die."

Focussing on the positive allows us to say - "I must get this looked at immediately, whatever it is. They have marvellous ways of removing and curing these things nowadays."

There will always be challenges to face with customers and the people who work with you. Focussing on the positive will make them so much easier to deal with.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team!

Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people . Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.co m/Motivating%20Your%20Team.htm

---

Managing Workplace Conflicts

Kinds of Workplace ConflictsLet's start by identifying where conflicts happen.... Read More

How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant for You

If you search on Google for "virtual assistant", you'll find... Read More

Where Businesses Fall Short

1. No vision. Successful businesses have a clear vision or... Read More

Keeping Meetings On Track

We all have been in meetings with certain people who... Read More

Meetings: Don?t Just Show Up, Stand Out and Shine

Meetings, whether they're regularly scheduled routines in your company or... Read More

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More

30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss

1. Trust no one. Not your superiors and not your... Read More

Leaders Versus Cheerleaders

Everyone wants to describe themselves as a leader. Everyday, new... Read More

5 Tips For Creating Great Jobs

1) Create A Powerful "Mission Statement"-When your business mission is... Read More

How to Deal With Salespeople

If you are an executive, you may sometimes feel like... Read More

Employee Orientation: Get New Hires Off To a Great Start

The good news is that a new hire orientation program... Read More

Time Management Tips for Managers

Late last year I was presenting a workshop for the... Read More

Quality Improvement is Free

The point of a quality improvement program should not only... Read More

3 Reasons Why CRM Strategies Fail

Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective... Read More

6 Steps to Effective Communication

Effective leaders are known for being excellent communicators. Here's what... Read More

Effective Ways to Give Performance Feedback

Consequences of Not Giving Effective FeedbackLet's take a look at... Read More

A Facilitators Guide to Running a Stakeholder Analysis Workshop

This facilitator's guide to running a stakeholder analysis workshop is... Read More

How to Create a Trusting Manager-Employee Relationship

BUILDING TRUST AS A MANAGER: 1. Be reliable. Follow through... Read More

Future Business Success - What Does Good Look Like?

When you know you need to shift up a gear,... Read More

Where Else in Your Business Do You Accept a 60% Failure Rate?

I recently surveyed CEOs and Business Leaders of large companies... Read More

Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works

A leader's role is to focus on those areas of... Read More

Sending Documents Through Email? Dont Get Burned by Metadata!

During a recent seminar I gave located in the suburbs... Read More

Dont Hire Squirrels to be Your Top Dogs

Bad hiring decisions cost organizations, both in dollars and lost... Read More

Finding the Right Way to Motivate Your Employees

Fear, Incentives and GrowthZig Ziglar says that there are three... Read More

Improved Communication to Improve Results

Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well... Read More

On the Road to Assertiveness

Learning to be assertive takes time, courage and the ability... Read More

ISO 9001 Compliant Program: Steps to Build

Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However,... Read More

Five Problem-Solving Success Tips

The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important... Read More

Smart Staffing: Replacing a Key Manager

Have you been in this situation? One of your top... Read More

Creativity Management and Behaviour

What behaviour maximises the chances of thinking of great ideas?... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 6th C: Changing Vision

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More

A Sense of Humor in the Workplace ... Is it Me? Or, was that not funny?

When I was first initiated into Corporate America, I had... Read More

Medical Collection. How Organized is Your Office?

At one time or another, all of us have experienced... Read More