Don’t underestimate the power of positive thinking. It is definitely not about being pollyannaerish and ignoring problems. It is not about sitting in the park under a tree chanting ohhmmmm and hoping for the best!

Thinking positively means you acknowledge reality BUT then you turn your undivided attention to where you are heading … consistently focusing on feeling good about where you are AND feeling excitement about where you are going.

If you are thinking but I’ve got to be focused on my problems. I can’t just be all positive about the future. You’ve got the wrong end of the stick.

When you are driving and you see a car accident happen just in front of you – do you turn your entire focus on the car accident or do you look for an escape route to ensure you safely navigate your way around the problem? Life is no different.

You MUST acknowledge the problem …. you can’t ignore a car accident in front of you, however, nor should you give it your undivided attention … use either of these tactics and you’ll plow right through it and create an even bigger problem!

As a leader you are responsible for finding problems …. but your bigger obligation is for finding solutions. And that’s why you have to master tapping into the power of positive thinking.

A lot of people are very skeptical about positive thinking because they have tried it in the past and did not see any real improvement in their lives.

Those who dismiss positive thinking are in fact right about one thing – Positive thinking alone will NOT change your life.

The truth is that there are no magical genies waiting to make your dreams come true just because you maintain a positive attitude.

This does not however mean that positive thinking is a waste of time. On the contrary, positive thinking is the first step of a powerful process that can and will change your life if you choose to apply it.

Here is the truth about positive thinking…

Positive thinking is only effective when it inspires you to take positive action towards achieving your goals.

Over time, repeated positive action becomes a positive habit and it is these habits that will bring you the positive results you desire.

The main reason people become disillusioned with positive thinking is because they mistakenly expect positive thoughts to lead directly to positive results. When things don’t improve, they then dismiss the concept of positive thinking entirely. This is a big mistake.

Once, you understand that positive thinking is the first step of a powerful four step process, you will discover that the true benefit of positive thinking is that it gives you the impetus to take action.

This Week’s Action Steps:

1. Visualise your goals each day and fill your mind with a positive image of the outcomes you want to achieve.

2. Use these positive thoughts as a springboard to take action.

3. Understand that repeated action becomes a habit.

4. Establish the habits that will lead you to achieve your most important life goals.