Make Your Thoughts Obey Your Goals

By: Sandi Krakowski

Ever had one of those days? When there's more 'crap' in your head than elsewhere? Don't worry, I know what it's like. Anyone who has had any amount of success understands the role of the thought life in the journey. Sadly, however, many new business owners (and even a few veterans who have gone astray!) have become victims of their own thoughts.

Remember this- your thoughts are not necessarily your reality. They can be temptations, influenced from a past mistake or painful situation. They can be the result of too much sugar and even lack of sleep. But to gauge your life and allow your results to be influenced by every passing thought is suicide in the making.

If you have never questioned yourself, your business or your life then you might want to consider whether or not you're actually doing anything of value. Because the questioning comes with the value, most times. The war starts when we make a decision, not when we sit in the seat of distress. The distress is just the preliminary warm up.

As I coach clients and work with small and large business owners it has become quite apparent to me that this economy has trashed some people's head traffic! Inside that beautiful computer God gave are messages such as:

"I don't even know if I can do this"

"I should just be like everyone else and survive"

"Maybe I'll make cookies, rather than work"

"The economy has made it hard to build a business"

and other nonsenses that have polluted the ability to move forward.

Here's a key you must hold fast to if you want to succeed in anything. MAKE your thoughts obey your goals.

One way to counter negative thoughts and temptations is to put up preventative care. Know where your weaknesses are and hedge them in, protect yourself ahead of time. Tell yourself that the questioning will come. It comes to the best of us… and make a decision what you are going to do WHEN it comes. Make that decision ahead of time. It will be a sword in your bag when it comes time for war.

Don't allow yourself to become the victim of your own circumstances, adversities or thoughts. It's important that your thoughts obey you and not the other way around. Unless of course you want to end up in the doctor’s office with an anxiety disorder!  Doctors have determined that the millions of thoughts that go through our mind are filled with bits of information and many of them half bits. So imagine that, if you buy into, serve and salute a half-truth where you'll end up.

In my twenties I was a professional bodybuilder. My thought life was critical to my success. It didn’t take long before I realized that my entire output in the gym, on the track and ultimately, on stage, was being influenced by how I thought.

One of the exercises I used to do outside of the gym I called “Brain Exercises.” This is where I worked on the muscles in my brain to create less block and more specific focus.Visualizing my entire workout ahead of time was a big help! Let me explain how this would work:

Just 30 minutes before I would head to the gym I would lie on my bed or the floor and close my eyes. Spending a few moments visualizing what I was going to do made things so much easier. I would work to get very focused on what it would be like to arrive at the gym. I’d see myself driving, parking and even carrying my gym bag to the door. Everything would be sped up but I could ‘visualize’ the important steps. Then I would see myself on the bench, lifting the barbell. In my mind I’d add 1-45 lb. plate to each side. I’d do several reps, going fast-forward in my mind but paying close attention to form, my breathing and how strong I felt through the entire process. This would be repeated as I added more weight to the rack….. My best lift was 235 lbs. for 12 reps

Then, in my mind I would move through one-armed bent over rows. Then lat pull downs where I’d chisel away my back. I’d end off with preacher curls and really making that bicep burn. All of this done while laying on the floor, with my eyes closed, in my mind, visualizing.

Heading to the gym I was nearly in a ‘fitness focused trance’!  My workouts went on autopilot and typical interruptions in the room didn’t bother me that much. Each set I’d now move forward with each movement done slowly, focused and intently. At the end of my workout, 2 hours later, my body felt at home going through each movement.

It is my belief that this ‘Brain Exercise’ gave me a real slight edge over my competitors. The striations in my muscles proved it to be so, as well as the trophies on my bookcase. Mental success along with physical training gave me remarkable results!

A business owner could do the exact same process with their company, list building and public speaking. Many are ‘expecting’ that things won’t work, they’ll fall apart or worse yet, it will be so hard they’ll never see their dreams come true.

What if you visualize your goals every day? Do the “Brain Exercises” of what your life will look like when you accomplish your goals. Where will you eat out? What will you be doing on weekends?

If one of your goals is to have enough money in the bank to pay cash for a car, imagine yourself walking into the dealership with the power of knowing you’ll be purchasing your vehicle and have no debt or remorse. What do you feel? Visualize it!

The next time you do a product launch visualize the purchases coming in, your customers enjoying their products and then getting great results. This alone could change your sales!

Remember this- just visualizing and affirming your goals means nothing if you don’t take action moving forward. Lying on the floor of my bedroom visualizing my fitness goals meant nothing if I didn’t go to the gym and do the work. The same holds true for your business. See the success, take the actions forward and do them again and again. This is what creates results and cash!

Make your thoughts obey!

One of the biggest reasons small business owners give up is directly related to their thought life. The second biggest reason has to do with who they hang around with. Is it time to do a personal inventory of the company you keep? Don't deceive yourself thinking you can be positive, brilliant and effective if you hang around a bunch of people who question themselves and whine. It won't happen.

Just like when we start a new fitness or weight loss program, the key to success is knowing that temptation will come. What we want to do is counter the temptation and make it obey us, rather than the other way around.

A CEO cannot become the victim of their thoughts, their weaknesses and their idiosyncrasies. They must put up preventative measures to help along the way.

But here's your job- make a decision and follow through. By making a decision you send a signal to the brain that you are serious. Your brain is always waiting for cues like this. Tell it which direction to go in…. and your life will change dramatically!

Sandi Krakowski   is a "Back To Basics Step By Step Business" expert who currently serves more than 100,000 clients in over 136 countries. Her systems help the average business owner as well as big corporations get extra-ordinary results quickly. She has a track record for her 'bringing it into action' processes that company owners find easy to implement with quick results. She has been working online successfully for the last 14 years.