Thinking Your Way to Success
Using your built in assets to full capacity.
By Cheri Ruskus - Business Victories. LLC
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
- Coco Chanel
Some times the simplest of words make the most complete thoughts! What Coco Chanel, an incredibly successful business woman in her own right, had to say with this opening quote from a number of years back still holds true today. With all of our to do’s that most of us face each day, sometimes it’s just easier to check into automatic pilot and forget to put the brain behind the brawn.
Setting the Electronics to the Side
There are so many things out there set up to do our thinking for us – from the Internet to TV. We can become lost in the knowledge of it all forgetting to think for ourselves. A New York Times study revealed that the average American spends 8.5 hours a day staring at electronic screens. Think about it…from your computer to cell phone to TV to even GPS systems that tell you every turn to make in getting where you need to go. Thankfully the one thing they still can’t do (yet) is telling us why we are going there.
With all these things in place it could become pretty easy to either a) go into complete information overload or, b) become fairly robotic and stop thinking for ourselves. Do you set time in your day to set all electronic devices to the side and opt for your own form of complete mental clarity?
Thorough Thinking = Clarity
Most of us have had the experience where we think and think and think some more about coming up with a new idea or perhaps resolving an ongoing problem. The more we push the thinking process the more nothing seems to come to our minds. This can go on for day’s even weeks on end. Suddenly when we let our brain rest through a day or more off from the day-to-day routine of our life the idea or problem resolution comes flooding in. Just giving the brain a rest is a remarkable way to bring clarity.
Another avenue towards clearer thinking is meditation – perhaps one of the best. To focus on the relaxation techniques that meditation can bring is a wonderful way to start each day. By bringing our body to complete inner peace through not really thinking but just in being – we can gain amazing insights. This can occur sometimes in as little as 15 minutes a day. Early morning is usually the best time when our mind has had the time to thoroughly rest first with a good nights sleep.
Yet another road to take you towards getting to your best thinking self is through exercise. It can be as simple as taking a break from your work and going for a brisk 15 minute walk. This interaction with your body and some fresh air can clear out the cobwebs that may have been forming in your head from sitting and working too long. Many a runner swears by the power of running to clear up their mind. The list of possibilities are long, giving each of us an assortment to choose from as our outlet of choice.
The Company You Keep
Many times the people you hang out with are the ones that can get you thinking either for the good or not so good. Hang out with negative people and before long you can find yourself also being a bit (or a lot) of a negative thinker. Hang out with positive, forward thinking people and you see yourself begin to get energized about the possibilities before you.
This is the beauty of belonging to Master Mind group such as the Victory Circles. Through the eyes of others you can begin to see past challenges more clearly. The ability to not feel so all alone with a problem or negative situation can open you up to seeing way beyond what you might have seen alone.
Coaching is another avenue that can bring you to new heights of thinking. Let’s face it no star athlete has been known to do it all by themselves. They have a Coach behind them nearly every step of their way. They critique their performance and help them to see where they might improve. What it brings to the athlete is clarity of what they indeed need to be thinking about when they perform their sport. This doesn’t take away from their thinking for themselves it simply enhances it.
Your Challenge Moving Forward
The challenge for you in moving towards the successes available to you in your life is finding that thinking “sweet spot” you can call your own. By discovering the activity or non-activity that allows for your brains endorphins to be running at full capacity, you will find a clear path to ultimate happiness. And after all, isn’t that really the meaning of success? Here is to your successes and victories!
