With each passing day I am getting closer and closer to the release of my book - Developing a Million-Dollar Relationship.  And I wanted to bring you all up to speed with its progress.  I have been pleasantly surprised with the response to the book thus far, and as anxious as I am to release it, I must remember to take it one day at time. 

Currently, it is being polished by my editor and should be back on my desk in early May.  What that means is that once I re-read it once again it will be ready for press.  But, before it can be sent off to press, it will need to be wrapped in a stylish cover.

I met last week with the Graphic Artist who is working on my cover design and received twenty potential covers to begin sorting through.  As I narrow down the list I am going to release the top three or four on this blog for you to assist me in choosing the final cover design.  So stay posted for those releases in the coming weeks. 

I also think it would be appropriate to say thank you to everyone who has already signed up for the pre-release sale.  I am refreshed at the amount of people who have signed up and this has only increased the anticipation.  (if you have not already signed up - you may sign up for the pre-release sale here) While I would love to have the book completed and ready for release today, as I know you would too, I also know that you want the very best product possible.  In the mean time, stay tuned for more information…

This week, and for the next few weeks, I want to stay on the topic of your thoughts, and how powerful, life defining, or life changing one thought can be. Today - on how the simplest word can make all the difference.

By now most of the world has seen the video circulating the web on Terje Haakonsen’s first descent down the Alaskan mountain named 7601. It is a short clip from the snowboarding film First Descent. (If you have not seen it I recommend watching it before reading further to get a better understanding of this lesson. It can be seen here - Terje’s First Descent) When this clip first hit the web my email was bombarded by my friends and colleagues asking me if I had seen it because they know one of my wife’s and my own passions in life is snowboarding. This video still gives me chills because I know first hand what it takes for this World Class Athlete to overcome his fears and succeed.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t - you’re right.” For a simple task, the price of thinking that you can’t do something is rather low. But using the video of Terje is the perfect example to illustrate how dangerous this simple word could be - one time or if it is made into a habit. For an action sports athlete the idea that you will ‘achieve what you believe’ is more than just a popular slogan designed for motivational speakers to give you something to get excited about, it is a way of life. One false thought or one negative mental image can mean life or death.

Long before Terje stood on top of 7601, the mountain named for its elevation, he had been thinking positive thoughts, and preparing himself for the challenges ahead.  Not so much outside of himself but from within.  He believed without a shadow of a doubt that he could ride this mountain, despite the dangers, and overcome his fear. He knew his limits and that in this particular case FEAR stood for the acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real. The ability to remove the negative thoughts that overcome you and replace them with positive thoughts and images are what separate you from those who do not.

The saddest words of the human language are: It might have been. These are immortal words of someone who was defeated by their thoughts but recognized that if they would have just said, “I can” they might have changed the world.

What the clip does not show you is that this is not the first time Terje and some of the other athletes featured in the film stood on top of 7601. Earlier in the film a team of athletes stood on the top weighing their options, and at that time the weather conditions proved to be too much for a First Descent. Wisely the team loaded back into the chopper and watched as the mountain got smaller and smaller out the window. Now he had to overcome not only the intial shock at seeing the dangers of the mountain, but he had to have the mental toughness to over come the fear twice. 

For Terje, he knew that the mountain was ridable and he chose to go back if the conditions were right. When the weather cleared and some of the dangers decreased, Terje once again set his sites on descending 7601. This time standing alone atop the peak Terje, with the power of positive thoughts and mental images, was able to tame the mountain and realize a dream come true. A reality that was only accomplished by denying the I can’t mentality.

While I recognize that snowboarding down a 55 degree mountain as dangerous as 7601 is not a gift/talent that everyone has, it does illustrate perfectly how powerful the mind can be and what can be accomplished when we remove the words ‘I can’t‘, ‘I won’t‘, ‘I am not good enough’ and replace them with the words ‘I can‘, ‘I will‘, ‘I am good enough‘. It is all in the power of your thoughts!

life

The great wisdom writer James Allen once said, “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will go tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”  What James Allen is really saying is that your thoughts, and what your concentrate your thoughts on, will be the direction that you go in life. Great leaders have the ability to concentrate their thoughts on subjects that will bring return to their lives and the lives of others. They do this by prioritizing what is important in their lives and then using the time they have been given to wisely think upon these thoughts.

A thought, or the act of thinking, is a mental process that allow us to model reality. By doing so we are able to deal with the world effectively according to our plans, desires,  or life vision. It is the ability to reason and reflect upon life or to visualize or imagine something to be true. Overall, thinking, is what we trade our time for and concentrate our thoughts upon.

People who go to the top think differently that those who do not. What they understand best is that life is what a you have been thinking about all day, and that the thoughts that consume our time will influence who we are. Most importantly, those who rise to the top, comprehend that with the limited amount of time we have been given each day they do not want to waste their time thinking upon things that bring no return.

Thoughts can be your best friend or your greatest enemy. A positive thought, that stands the test of time, will begin to shape you and mold you into the person you wish to become. In other words, you will find as you begin to shape your thoughts they will begin to shape you. On the other hand, negative thoughts, that have no return to them, will begin to chip away at your character and leave you discouraged and bare.

Albert Einstein, a man with a gift for thinking in a manner that brings return to himself and humanity, once said, “The world we have created is a product of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing your thinking.” The power of your thoughts can either carry you to the heights of your dreams or the depths of despair. Here are four ways to help your daily thoughts bring you positive return and change your world.

Focus On:

1. Big Picture Thoughts: Your ability to think beyond yourself.
2. Realistic Thoughts: Your ability to remove everything with no value and concentrate on the facts.
3. Strategic Thoughts: Your ability to think forward and give your life direction.
4. Reflective Thoughts: Your ability to reflect on your day and gain insight into your daily thinking in order to improve upon them.