Thought Power
Thought Power
One of my clients recently came to the realisation that her work was unfulfilling and she created a vision for what she really wanted to do instead, her passion was evident. A week later I spoke with her and she described the following events. The day after our coaching appointment she had bumped into her previous boss at a conference and they started chatting. Somehow the topic of conversation drifted onto work and it transpired that her old boss had sold his business and started a new company involving just the area she wanted to work in; she was offered a job on the spot and accepted the post immediately! Next day she was drafting her resignation letter from her current job when the phone rang and she was summoned to a meeting with the HR Manager. At the meeting it was explained that the business was undergoing some changes and she was asked if she would consider taking voluntary redundancy (involving a generous settlement!). She accepted straight away, went back to her office and binned her letter! So was this just a series of pure coincidences or was this the power of her new vision and intentions influencing not just her own actions but also the actions of others? Who knows, but in light of the possibilities it becomes important to take a closer look at how pessimism and optimism could alter outcomes. These two common but very different ways of thinking are poles apart. Our imagination and how we think about the future affects our frame of mind, how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about the world around us. What we imagine will happen drives what we do and what we achieve as our thoughts turn to actions and become self-fulfilling prophesies. For example holding optimistic thoughts has been shown in many studies to dramatically improve recovery rates and outcomes from illnesses and injuries. “An optimist may see a light where there is none but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?” Thinking requires ‘energy’ and what we think about channels energy. The energy of optimism is channelled into making the optimistic vision become reality; it leads us to take actions that are directed towards getting what we want. On the other hand the energy of pessimism is about worse case scenarios which ironically can then become self-fulfilling although they are the things we don’t want. The owner of pessimistic thoughts is often then justified in their gloomy outlook by their worst fears becoming true. It’s perhaps interesting to note that both pessimistic thinkers and their optimistic counterparts equally stake claim to being realists. This is of course true because both tend to get what they think about! So be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
So can we choose our thoughts or are we stuck with them? I often hear people saying “So and so is a born optimist” or “So and so is a born pessimist”. Somehow I doubt this is how it works although I suppose a scientist someday may claim to have discovered the gene for optimism or for pessimism. I suspect that what is more likely is that we run both ‘tracks’ of thought (often depending on mood and recent events). Over time we then practice one way of thinking more than another and we get better at it (practice makes permanent – or is that being pessimistic!) Consequently it becomes easier and more natural to take an optimistic or a pessimistic view depending on which we have spent most time practising. Its also likely that as children we learn to use one track more than another, the track being largely influenced by the ‘models’ provided by the key people in our lives. I’ve noticed that pessimistic thought patterns often seem to run in families as they get passed on through generations. I’ve also noticed it in whole organisations often driven by the default thinking styles at the top! It is therefore important to choose carefully the thinking style you practice in the knowledge that not only will you get better at it but also you could pass it on to others! What an inheritance!
Jeff Gill ICF Credentialed Coach info@betterbalance.co.uk
Thought Power - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Gill's Website.
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The premise that our thoughts today become our actions of tomorrow holds a lot of truth. Jung coined the term synchronicity to describe the apparently accidental events that propel us in a desired direction. Propel is a great description because it’s like the power of our thoughts creates a ‘slingshot effect’ similar to that of a spacecraft as it gets an enormous boost from looping around a planet. Synchronicity is like that. We are going along in one direction then our new intentions create an energy and we experience a powerful boost from somewhere as our acceleration towards what we want increases and we take actions as if they are being driven sub-consciously. So those fortuitous meetings, happy accidents, chance encounters, hands of destiny .. and so on. Are they just coincidences or predictable outcomes of the sub conscious power of our intentions?
One of my clients recently came to the realisation that her work was unfulfilling and she created a vision for what she really wanted to do instead, her passion was evident. A week later I spoke with her and she described the following events. The day after our coaching appointment she had bumped into her previous boss at a conference and they started chatting. Somehow the topic of conversation drifted onto work and it transpired that her old boss had sold his business and started a new company involving just the area she wanted to work in; she was offered a job on the spot and accepted the post immediately! Next day she was drafting her resignation letter from her current job when the phone rang and she was summoned to a meeting with the HR Manager. At the meeting it was explained that the business was undergoing some changes and she was asked if she would consider taking voluntary redundancy (involving a generous settlement!). She accepted straight away, went back to her office and binned her letter! So was this just a series of pure coincidences or was this the power of her new vision and intentions influencing not just her own actions but also the actions of others? Who knows, but in light of the possibilities it becomes important to take a closer look at how pessimism and optimism could alter outcomes. These two common but very different ways of thinking are poles apart. Our imagination and how we think about the future affects our frame of mind, how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about the world around us. What we imagine will happen drives what we do and what we achieve as our thoughts turn to actions and become self-fulfilling prophesies. For example holding optimistic thoughts has been shown in many studies to dramatically improve recovery rates and outcomes from illnesses and injuries. “An optimist may see a light where there is none but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?” Thinking requires ‘energy’ and what we think about channels energy. The energy of optimism is channelled into making the optimistic vision become reality; it leads us to take actions that are directed towards getting what we want. On the other hand the energy of pessimism is about worse case scenarios which ironically can then become self-fulfilling although they are the things we don’t want. The owner of pessimistic thoughts is often then justified in their gloomy outlook by their worst fears becoming true. It’s perhaps interesting to note that both pessimistic thinkers and their optimistic counterparts equally stake claim to being realists. This is of course true because both tend to get what they think about! So be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
So can we choose our thoughts or are we stuck with them? I often hear people saying “So and so is a born optimist” or “So and so is a born pessimist”. Somehow I doubt this is how it works although I suppose a scientist someday may claim to have discovered the gene for optimism or for pessimism. I suspect that what is more likely is that we run both ‘tracks’ of thought (often depending on mood and recent events). Over time we then practice one way of thinking more than another and we get better at it (practice makes permanent – or is that being pessimistic!) Consequently it becomes easier and more natural to take an optimistic or a pessimistic view depending on which we have spent most time practising. Its also likely that as children we learn to use one track more than another, the track being largely influenced by the ‘models’ provided by the key people in our lives. I’ve noticed that pessimistic thought patterns often seem to run in families as they get passed on through generations. I’ve also noticed it in whole organisations often driven by the default thinking styles at the top! It is therefore important to choose carefully the thinking style you practice in the knowledge that not only will you get better at it but also you could pass it on to others! What an inheritance!
Jeff Gill ICF Credentialed Coach info@betterbalance.co.uk
Thought Power - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Gill's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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