Jonah bought a couple of tools and left the shop after about half an hour. They talked with Jesus about the new farm and life in general. As he walked away, he kept thinking that Jesus the son of Joseph was growing fast into a wise young man. And he was right.

The Making of a King

Jesus was born into working class family. His dad worked as a carpenter and became an apprentice there. He worked diligently as a carpenter with his father.

After his 30^th birthday, he switched careers and became a teacher. He taught, challenged and inspired the people around him.

His teachings spread around the world and are still pertinent even after 2000 years. He is one of the inspiring legends upon whose shoulders I stand. What can we learn about this man Jesus Christ?

Lessons from the King of Kings

1 –Diligence Pays

He knew that he was the son of God but he did not sit on his laurels. He was up and about, had a job as a carpenter and worked crazy hours to achieve his goals. Positive thinking will only take you so far. You need to put in the hours and apply yourself to reach your goals.

2 – Have a Mission

His mission on earth was to teach the word of God and die for our sins so we may have eternal life. His mission was not easy; he endured tribulation but did not waver.

Determine what your mission in life is and go for it. Develop a mission statement and spend your life fulfilling it. With a mission statement, everything falls into perspective. You define your own boundaries and prioritize things in your life.

Your mission is different from your goals. Think of your mission as your core values, and your goals as tools to live up to your mission.

3 – Stories Sell

Parable after parable, Jesus shared his lessons with people as stories. He realized that human beings are suckers for a good story. Stories teach and sell.

What is your story? Package your achievements, your desires and goals into stories and tell them. You will be more likely to get an audience with stories than with facts alone. Stories help connect people and turbo charge bonding.

4 – Be a Team Player

Jesus realized that he needed a good team to help pass on his message. He assembled a team of disciples and worked well with them. They taught the gospel even after he was gone.

Everyone is gifted or experienced in their own area. Knowing how to tap into the unique talents and experiences of people can transform you from zero to hero and beyond.

5 – Fear Not

Jesus’ teachings were going against the accepted teachings at the time. He was amassing enemies at an alarming rate. He would have slowed down but he did not. He believed that what he stood for was right and his message needed to be heard.

Do not let fear paralyze you. Fear prevents action and modifies behavior in ways that slow down your journey to victory… What kind of fears do you have? Are they limiting your success? What can you do to face or address your fears?

6 – Show Leadership

Jesus was able to influence others through his teachings, his character and style. He inspired people to want to live a better life instead of forcing them into it. He also empowered his disciples and delegated authority to them.

You will achieve more by being a good leader.

Do not just sit back and wait to be led. Chart your path, grow and give others the opportunity to follow you. A good leader needs to be strong and unwavering. A good leader must have a vision and empathy for his followers. If you want to be a better leader, care more.

7 – Be Prepared

Jesus did not just wake up and start teaching people. He studied carpentry, religion, law and other disciplines. If you want to be a roaring success story, put in the hours to learn and practice. Learn from the people who are already successful at what you aspire to do. Study and copy them.

Gain valuable experiences and do your home work before you embark on a journey. You would not climb Mount Kilimanjaro before thorough preparation…right? Be sucker for preparation if you want to avoid fatal mistakes.

8 – Shun Intolerance

Jesus talked with both the elite and the poor in society. He talked with the sinners and the people the masses rejected. He saved a woman who was about to be stoned for adultery. He ate at a hated tax collectors house.

He treated everyone with love and respect. People come in different in looks, shapes, beliefs, tastes, habits, views etc.

If you don’t accept or at least respect diversity in people, it will limit how high you soar. To rise above mediocrity, we must shun intolerance by taking active steps to respect diversity.

9 – Be Generous

Jesus gave his life to save us from eternal damnation. He endured gross injustices and violations to his human rights for greater good.

When at a party and the booze ran out, he was swift to change water into wine. He turned a few loaves and fish into a lavish bash.

Giving with an open heart will open floodgates of blessings in your life. If you practice the habit of giving, the universe will compensate you many times over. Be a cheerful giver.

Give something of value to people you meet. Not necessarily money but what you have in your reserves. When you give, you are making a deposit in your spiritual account and you will reap your rewards with the same measure you give out.

10 – Humility is not Cowardice

Even though he was the Son of God, Jesus came to the world and was born in a manger. He endured poverty and humiliation to achieve his goals. You may have to swallow humble pie to achieve some of your goals.

Avoid pride especially when things start looking up in your life.  Pride comes before a fall. A bloated ego as a result of winning can obstruct common sense.

Summary

I hope I did not step on too many toes through this blog post. Religion is a touchy subject for some. Having said that; there are many lessons we can learn from Jesus Christ. Take a moment to read the bible even if you are not a Christian. It is a book with pearls of wisdom on how to succeed in life and beyond. Be blessed.

If you have ever heard me say that you can be anything you set your mind to, I learned that from Napoleon Hill. He would often say “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve“. Millions of people around the world have learned the success philosophy from Napoleon Hill. His book “Think and Grow Rich” has sold over 30 million copies.

A Young Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill had the misfortune of losing his mother at the tender age of eight. He grew up in financial difficulties and even dropped out of college due to lack of school fees.

He started writing for small-town newspapers in the area of Wise County, Virginia. His employer commissioned him to write a series on successful men. His first interview became a life changer. He was to interview Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in America at the time.

A three hour interview turned out to be a three day talk with the great Andrew Carnegie. It then went on to become a twenty year research project.

Andrew Carnegie could sense potential in people. Within three hours of meeting Napoleon Hill, he knew that he had the right man for the job of researching and putting together a new success philosophy.

Imagine going to interview the richest man in the world and after the interview, he asks you if you would be willing to work for him for 20 years without pay. That was the decision Napoleon Hill had to make on his feet that day. Saying yes proved to be his best decision yet.

The Formula for Success

Andrew Carnegie paved the way for Napoleon Hill by giving him letters of introduction to the rich and famous men. He did not pay Napoleon throughout the twenty year project apart from some expenses in the early years of their relationship.

Napoleon Hill’s first task was to listen to and analyze over 500 powerful men and women to learn the secrets of their success. Andrew Carnegie believed that any man or woman could be successful by following a simple formula and it was Hill’s job to find that formula. When I tell you that I am standing on the shoulders of giants, these are the giants.

As part of his research, Hill interviewed and drew out the best from success giants such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Eastman, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt and Jennings Randolph.

Napoleon Hill later became an adviser to two presidents of the United States of America, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

What can we learn from Napoleon Hill?

Thoughts are things. Thoughts are physical.

Whatever your mind thinks about becomes your reality. Success or failure is all in the mind. You are the architect of your life.

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it”, said Napoleon Hill.

Napoleon Hill believed that action is the true measure of intelligence. The scales of success are tipped on the side of action takers.

Learn More about Napoleon Hill

Many people have written about Napoleon Hill and his philosophy of achievement. I will not repeat it all in this blog post.

In this series of articles on inspiring legends, I will be introducing each legend and giving the motivated readers links to find out more about the legend.

To read his book “Think and Grow Rich” for free, please visit http://www.sacred-texts.com/nth/tgr/index.htm

To watch a TV interview of Napoleon Hill talking about his first meeting with Andrew Carnegie, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCaEZscfvA

To download (free) his monumental success masterpiece “The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons (1928)”, please visit http://www.archive.org/details/Law_Of_Success_in_16_Lessons

Summary

Napoleon Hill is the father of positive thinking. This blog is based on his teachings as seen through my eyes, experiences and thinking. I will be exposing more of my sources of inspiration in this series. Take time to follow the links and to learn from these masters. Even you know about Napoleon Hill and his teachings, going back to them again will lift your spirit and expose you to new ideas.

Stay tuned for the next inspiring legend, coming soon.

Attitude Towards Discipline

Many people associate discipline with punishment. When growing up children learn that if they do not do what their parents or teachers want, they will be punished in some way. So they develop an uncanny ability to do just enough to avoid punishment. That ability becomes the genesis of mediocrity.

It is shocking how many people are like that. It is a negative trait that is honed overtime. To rise above mediocrity, you must change your attitude towards discipline.

Discipline means getting more out of yourself and giving your best towards your goal. Think of discipline as a surefire way of getting to your success. Learn to associate discipline with success not punishment.

If you are productive today, then slack off tomorrow, you will only get minimal results. Be disciplined everyday for the best results in your life.

Discipline Training

You can be trained or train yourself to be progressively more disciplined. If you can only concentrate at your job for 1 hour, try and add an extra half an hour. If you become comfortable with that, keep increasing the period until you get full concentration.

The best way to be disciplined is to learn how to set boundaries. Learn to say no to distractions from your goal. It may mean that you will not answer your phone when “in the working zone“. It may mean denying yourself some pleasures or finer things in life or set a limit to your sleeping hours.

Without boundaries, you will just go with the “flow”. Discipline is about taking deliberate action towards your goal not just going with the flow. Define what consists work or actions towards your goal, stick with it and eliminate all else.

Multitasking wastes time especially when switching from one task to another. Progressively train yourself to be more disciplined by  focusing fully on the task at hand.

Practical Discipline Examples

• Physical Health & Fitness – Be disciplined in taking care of your body. Do not just set new years resolutions in January to keep fit then forget it as the year progresses. Discipline means carrying on with your resolutions even when your emotional state has changed. Eat right and keep a regular exercise routine.

• Work – Many people do just enough not to get fired. The average office worker is productive for only half the time they are in the office. Research has shown that many workers spend time in idle socializing, checking email, reading news and other activities not directly related to their job. Set yourself apart by being more disciplined. Improve your productivity, work the required hours everyday and give your best.

• Financial Freedom – Many people read financial freedom books or attend seminars and resolve to change their financial future. But after the dust settles, they get back to the old habits. Financial freedom is a long road, expect to get bored or tired as you go along. Put in place automated systems, e.g. regular savings to help you carry on. Watch the small dollar bills regularly even as you aim for the the big bucks.

• Home & Family – Be disciplined in the amount of time you spend with your family. Be disciplined in taking action and responsibilities at home even when the going gets tough.

• Mind – Keep training your mind, feed it positive thoughts regularly, visit positive websites like this one, regularly. Train your mind to think outside the box. Keep learning new ideas and develop mental strength by stepping out of your comfort zone. Do this regularly.

• Time Management – We only have 24 hours in a day. Learn how to prioritize your activities and stick to a schedule. Do not take on more than you can chew, but when you commit to something, find the most time effective way of following through. If time management does not come naturally for you, train yourself to be more time conscious, productive and/or learn how to delegate.

Summary

Work towards your goal even when the going gets tough.  You will achieve a lot in your life if you stick to your mission day in day out. Don’t keep on falling in and out of love with your passion.

Every year without fail, the words “resolutions” and “valentine” spike up on web searches. Millions of people log in to their favorite search engines and google for goals and love. According to Google Trends, the searches for the word “resolutions” spike up right at the end of each year. The searches for the word “valentine” spike up at the second week of February. Let us ride the wave and set some post valentines resolutions.

Where is Your Horizon?

How far into the future do you set your goals? Are you only looking at the next 18 months? Your actions and choices today will affect your future. Successful people think further into the future than unsuccessful people. They are willing to invest for the future instead of getting instant gratification. They are willing to sow the seeds and wait for them to bear fruits.

Set a major goal that is attainable but have a longer term view of it. Your major mission in life becomes your moral compass, helping you make the right choices along the way. If you only think of the near term, your habits, friends, output and choices will show.

The Feeling of Achievement

One of my decisions this year is to get used to the taste of victory. I want to get used to the idea of winning. I want to get used to the idea of being a super achiever. It is a self perpetuating state. The more you think of yourself as a winner, the more likely you are to succeed.

Positive thinking alone will not make you win your battles, but it does a lot more for your success than negative thinking ever can. So how do you develop the feeling of achievement? The answer lies with the goals you set for yourself.

If you set goals that are almost impossible to achieve, then chances are that you will not achieve them. The biggest man was once a baby. Start with baby goals and grow with them. Get used to the little league before jumping into the small league. Learn to spell before you write your novel.

Celebrate each victory no matter how small. When you set a specific, measurable goal, and you reach it, take a moment to celebrate. Take a moment to reflect on what made you succeed. As you do that over and over, you will grow in confidence and ability. You will establish a pattern of winning that will be difficult to break.

Life Work Balance

Do you have an insatiable desire for wealth that is detrimental to your values and relationships? Taking business and success too seriously can lead to stress and emotional turmoil that can ruin everything else.

Since launching this blog, I have written on a wide array of topics ranging from Personal Branding, to Emotional Mastery to Relationships and Getting Rich. I have tried to inspire you and me to find balance instead of chasing success in only one aspect of life. How would you like to gain the whole world and lose your soul? How would you feel if you became the richest man in your city and lose you family?

Take regular breaks from work or business. It helps create a healthy work / life balance. You can spend time with your family and friends when taking breaks from work.

Take a piece of piece of paper and set your goals in all aspects of your life. Re-evaluate your quest for success and decide if you are paying a fair price. Is your job worth your family life? Is your night out worth your school grades? Is a little grass worth your career?

Finding the One

Find the one goal that makes you happy. Put in the requisite time and effort to attain that goal. Going on with life without a major goal is like setting out to sea without a destination in mind.

The major goal for this blog, this year, is to create a community of positive minded people. I want to provide a personal development platform and an environment for people to share their experiences. I am still working behind the scenes to put the building blocks in place. It is a goal that has consumed me and will continue to until it turns out into reality.

What is your major goal in life? What are you trying to achieve this year or in your life? Take time to really understand yourself and where you want to go. You are the captain of your universe and you owe it to yourself to get direction. Nobody can tell you what your major goal should be. Look within and you will find it. When you find your goal, give it your very best.

[This blog post is part of the serialization of the classic personal development book "As a Man Thinketh" By James Allen]

Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body. Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet, and they are continually killing thousands of people just as surely though less rapidly. The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body, and lays it open to the, entrance of disease; while impure thoughts, even if not physically indulged, will soon shatter the nervous system.

Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigour and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it.

Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood, so long as they propagate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and a corrupt body. Thought is the fount of action, life, and manifestation; make the fountain pure, and all will be pure.

Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.

Clean thoughts make clean habits. The so-called saint who does not wash his body is not a saint. He who has strengthened and purified his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent microbe.

If you would protect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace. A sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly, passion, and pride.

I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright, innocent face of a girl. I know a man well under middle age whose face is drawn into inharmonious contours. The one is the result of a sweet and sunny disposition; the other is the outcome of passion and discontent.

As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and serenity.

On the faces of the aged there are wrinkles made by sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, and others are carved by passion: who cannot distinguish them? With those who have lived righteously, age is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the setting sun. I have recently seen a philosopher on his deathbed. He was not old except in years. He died as sweetly and peacefully as he had lived.

There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self made prison-hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all—such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.

Many of us are always looking to climb higher. Unfortunately, the higher you climb the more you realize how far you still to go. Do you spend your life looking for the next promotion, the next relationship, the next success?

I like a quote by Will Smith, he said “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t like.” Breaking your back to amass a collection of luxuries you don’t need, to impress people you don’t care about sounds silly, but a surprisingly high number of people do that year in year out.

Internal Congruence

To be truly successful, you need to have internal congruence. Your mind and soul needs to be convinced that what you are doing is a worthy pursuit. Wouldn’t it be nice to find the quickest path to happiness instead of perpetually chasing the wind?

If one part of you wants to succeed and the other part says “hey man, is it really worth it?” then you are going to have problems. You are going to sabotage yourself more than Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq sabotage Americans. You will be your own enemy in your success battles.

Finding Balance

Do you have an insatiable desire for wealth that is detrimental to your values and relationships? Taking business and success too seriously can lead to stress and emotional turmoil that can ruin everything else.

Since launching this blog, I have been writing on a wide array of topics ranging from Personal Branding, to Emotional Mastery to Relationships and Getting Rich. It is all about finding balance instead of chasing success in one aspect of life to the exclusion of all else. How would you like to gain the whole world and lose your soul? How would you feel if you became the richest man in your city and lose you family?

Take a piece of piece of paper and set your goals in all aspects of your life. Re-evaluate your quest for success and decide if you are paying a fair price. Is your job worth your family life? Is your night out worth your school grades? Is your career worth a little grass or more?

And the Bible Says…

Today I will leave you with the  scripture that inspired the title of this post.

Ecclesiastes 1 (New International Version)

1. The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2        “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

3        What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

4        Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5        The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6        The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

7        All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

8        All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9        What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

10    Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

11    There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

12    I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13     I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!

14     I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15     What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16    I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”

17     Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18    For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Parting Shot…

I would love to hear from you regarding your thoughts about chasing the wind of success and finding balance. Your comments are highly appreciated. Kindly share this blog post with your friends on Facebook and other social Media.

2. Positive Books – Positive people like telling everyone who can listen to go read a book by so and so. Ohh that book changed my life. Ohh that book will transform you. Positive people will spend a lot of money on positive books. Anything called self development, self improvement, personal development, winning, overcoming is a regarded as a good buy. Positive people will always share with other positive people about the message in those positive books. They will know the names of positive writers such as Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, and Norman Vincent Peale. Positive people will name each author and the titles they wrote. Publishing houses love positive people.

3. Motivational Speakers – Positive people like listening to motivational speakers. They can quote for you and give you stories about the top motivational speakers like Tony Robbins.

4. Positive Blogs and Websites -Positive people just love pointing their RSS readers to positive blogs. They love visiting positive blogs like this one for their daily dose of inspiration. Positive people know a few positive websites that they check on every now and then. Website developers optimize their websites with keywords to make it easy for positive people to find them. Words like motivation, self improvement and success are given prominence by the positively web savvy webmasters.

5. Other Positive People -Positive people just love positive people. They will congregate where there is a smell of positivity. If they hear, see or read something positive, they cannot help it but share it with a fellow positive person. They really love other positive people and keep away from people they consider negative.

6. Heroes -Positive people always seem to want a hero. This may be a person distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; it may be a person who has done really well in life. They seek out such people to be friends with them in the hope that a little of that magic will rub off them. Positive people are like stalkers, they will do incredible research, spit out stats about their heroes. These heroes do not even need to be alive.

7. Seminars – As soon as positive people can afford it, they make sure they attend a Mecca of positivity. They look out for the best conferences, seminars and retreat to learn to be even more positive. They spend a fortune going to these seminars and proclaim to all that can listen that the seminar changed their life. Of course the seminar organizers love positive people. They listen to them and learn how to make a more positive seminar next time. The seminar organizers are on a first name basis with their local bank managers courtesy of the positive people.

8. Tapes, CDs & Podcasts -After attending seminars or church services, positive people buy tapes, CDs or Podcasts for their iphones so that they can listen on the go. Positive people put tapes and CDs in their car to listen to every positive message they can get. Positive people listen to their iPod  full of positive messages, preaching or motivational talks.

9. Dreams -Positive people like dreaming. They always dream of a better tomorrow even when today looks impossible. They are good at visualizing how life can be if only they can stay positive. People who know positive people well try to get them to keep their dreams alive. That is why positive people like hanging out with other positive people. Positive people let other positive people dream and even cheer them on.

10. Self Hypnosis – Positive people love self hypnosis. Self hypnosis is the ability to influence positive self-improvement through the inner processes of focused awareness. Positive people sit there and just let go, they get into their own world, controlling their thoughts, and infecting themselves with the idea that they want. They love getting into the zone. It feels good for positive people to regularly self hypnotize.

11. Positive Affirmations -Positive people like having a collection of positive affirmations. They tell themselves those words over and over hoping it will change their lives. It is not uncommon to find a positive person exercising while muttering “you can do it if you put your mind into it”. Positive people sincerely believe that positive affirmations will change their lives.

12. Life Coach -Positive people love the idea of a life coach. They flirt with the idea of someone wise coming to tell them what to do. Do this do not do this. They like that idea and think that it would transform their lives.

13. Personal Stories – Positive people like sharing personal stories. They love hearing the positive stories of others. They will gossip without realizing it. They will share deep secrets as a way of bonding. Positive people are always very curious to hear a personal side to the lessons. Self improvement teachers weave personal stories into their message for the positive people to really connect with the message.

14. Positive Advertisements -Positive people love positive advertisements. They will watch a full 30 minutes infomercial featuring Tony Robbins and pick up the phone to call the number on the screen. Positive people react to certain words and mode of delivery of words. Positive marketers are masters at using words, stories and pictures that trigger positive people to be receptive to their advertising.

15. Interviews -Positive people love watching interviews of positive people and people who have overcome adversity. They really connect with such interviews and the TV network executives get very happy with the TV ratings. Positive interviewers know what kind of questions to ask in order to make the interviewee answer in a way that positive people love.

16. Gadgets -Positive people love gadgets. Gadgets that help them be more positive like iPods are preferred. Positive people also seek out gadgets to help them in personal productivity boosts like calendaring systems and organizers.

17. Positive Cards -Positive people know how to spot a positive card for every occasion. They will look for a positive card to send to a sick person telling them to get well soon. They will find the most positively loving card to send to their loved ones. Positive card makers love positive people.

18. Positive Music -People’s tastes in music are different, but when it comes to positive music, positive people are almost always ready to jump beyond their comfort zone. Positive people are inspired by positive music and can listen to that music for hours on end. Of course radio stations and record label companies love positive people.

19. Positive Videos/TV -Positive people like having their own TV stations. These stations may be inspirational or religious. Positive people love watching positive videos. They may be amateur videos or professional training videos. Given the opportunity, positive people will spend hours on YouTube watching positive videos and music videos.

20. Mentor -Positive people always want to have a mentor. They always seek out for someone who can encourage them in their success journey. Positive people hope to succeed and become a mentor to someone in the future.

Summary

Do not take yourself too seriously. And being positive is not such a bad thing. If you know a couple of positive people, please share this blog post with them. They may be able to see a thing or two about themselves in a new light.

I would love to hear your ideas about more stuff that positive people like, incase I missed any (am sure I did).

All of your feelings, beliefs, knowledge and results are based on your internal thoughts, both conscious and subconscious. If you continuously feed your mind with positive thoughts, you will be planting good seeds that will nudge you towards your goals.

Most of us are negative people by default. We have to constantly try to be positive. Your mind is always having internal conversations that dictate how you react to situations or even what you decide to act on. These conversations determine your destiny. The kind of conversations you have in your mind depends on your social conditioning, past experiences and past thoughts.

Last year was not one of the best years in my life. I felt I needed to make changes in my life this year if I was to be on track to achieve my mission in life. I listened to many tapes, read a lot of books on how to turn my life around. I visited hundreds of websites and blogs to learn how to succeed in life and achieve my goals. One thing that I noticed as a common theme was that for you to turn your life around, you have to change your thought patterns.

I immersed myself in the subject of positive thinking and thought patterns and came to understand the power that comes with controlling your thoughts. I now believe I can be anything I want to be without a doubt. It feels so good to be where I am at the moment. It is like standing on top of a mountain looking at the Promised Land. My friend you have it in you to soar like an eagle if you put your mind to it. I hope to inspire you to be the best you can by changing your thought patterns.

Everyday when you look at the news, you will see stories of poverty, hunger, wars, crime, corruption, lust, violence, shame and so on. The media thrives on highlighting what ails the society. I used to be a voracious consumer of news. I would read news on the net every few hours. I wanted to be “on top of things” by visiting most big media sites a few times a day. But I realized I was just feeding my mind with negative signals.

I made a conscious decision to cut down the number of hours I watch television per week and limit my news hunting frenzy. I am no longer greedy for the latest war story from the Middle East or hottest gossip from Hollywood. Instead I am trying to read books, watch videos, listen to podcasts and visit blogs that are inspiring. If you are currently watching too much TV and listening to negative news every day, try and reduce that to a minimum and fill your time with positive messages.

Is the glass half empty or half full?

According to Wikipedia, Is the glass half empty or half full? is a common expression, used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty); or as a general litmus test to simply determine if an individual is an optimist or a pessimist. The purpose of the question is to demonstrate that the situation may be seen in different ways depending on one’s point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble.

Optimism is an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place, or one’s personal situation as a positive one. It is the philosophical opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best. You need to be optimistic in life and learn to expect the best to happen to you. Keep your thoughts positive.

Thought Patterns are Contagious

If you hang around people who are optimistic in life, you will most likely end up looking at the glass as half full. If you hang out with pessimists, you will always see the glass as half empty. Your friends will influence how you think whether you realize it or not. It may be the way they look at you when you say something, or how they behave when you do something. Be careful about the people you let into your life. They can make or break you even without you realizing it. Surround yourself with positive people and their positive energy will radiate to you. Become more positive and you will impact the people around you and inspire them.

Positive Thinking Vocabulary

Before you become good in something, you need to learn the lingo. You need to learn how to construct sentences that make sense to yourself and others. Vocabulary helps people make strides in a chosen profession that they would not be able to without the vocabulary. The words that come out the mouth of a soldier are different from the words of a carpet cleaner. If you want to be good in your career you need to expand your vocabulary in your profession.

I work as a web/computer programmer and I know the how to communicate with others in my team. If I was a doctor, lawyer or carpenter I would need to learn a new vocabulary. Most lawyers would not understand me if I told them that I have I have modified the PHP file; changed the database abstraction library from ADODB to Zend_DB then commited the changes to the RELEASE branch in the SVN repository.

For you to be a positive person, you need to learn the words and learn how to construct positive sentences. You think in words and sentences. Learn how to construct them. Two people can look at a similar situation and describe it in different ways. Make sure you are the person who describes life in positive terms.

Fill your mind with positive words like : Abundance, Admirable, Award, Approval, Appealing, Beautiful, Charming, Chic, Confidence, Delightful, Dazzling, Devine, Easy, Efficient, Enjoy, Exceptional, Fabulous, Fascinating, Glowing, Gorgeous, Guaranteed, Heart-warming, Perfect, Plenty, Reputation, Smooth, Sparkling, Special, Splendid, Ultimate, Valuable, Winner, Wow!

Positive Thinking Quotes

• Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book

• Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Winston Churchill

• Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture… Do not build up obstacles in your imagination. Norman Vincent Peale

• Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex. Norman Vincent Peale

• Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal power comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out. Norman Vincent Peale

• A positive attitude is the one characteristic that all successful people have in common. Unknown

• The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment. Tony Robbins

Conclusion

Positive thinking means putting together optimistic thoughts in your mind. You should strive to master a full set of positive words to describe what is happening. Having a positive vocabulary helps you communicate positive ideas to yourself and to others.

In this Series:

• The Power of Persistence
• The Power of Gratitude
• The Power of Positive Thinking
• The Power of Hard Work