The Power of Positive Thought
Lately, I've been particularly convicted by quotes I've encountered that underscore the importance of positive thinking. I have a slight tendency to approach things from the perspective of a well-grounded realist (understatement intended). I'm conservative by nature and typically apply my analytical skills toward envisioning all the things that can possibly go wrong with a plan or scheme. This suits me well in my role as project manager; risk management plays a major role in successful project implementation. But I realize that my tendency to focus on the things that can go wrong often means I ignore the likelihood that things will go right.
So it is interesting that notions of positive thinking have been resonating so profoundly with me lately. First, I encountered the following quote in a business magazine I was reading a couple of weeks ago:"If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?"
This one hit me right between the eyes. So many of my decisions in life have been made based on mitigating the chances of failure. And yet here is encouragement to take an opposite tack, to live life assuming success rather than failure. This is pretty elementary stuff to the optimist or born entrepreneur, but a bit of a stretch for this INTJ project manager. It is a tremendously freeing concept. And today, I read this quote from Gainsville Health & Fitness' employee handbook, as related in a recent issue of Inc magazine:
"Our greatest power is the freedom to choose; we decide what we do, what we think, and where we go...We can do what we want to do; we can be who we want to be. We develop our own future by applying persistence to the possibilities. Our future is all around us. If we seek, we will find it. If the door is closed, we must knock and keep knocking until it opens. We never give up...."
Whether intended or not, this quote borrows heavily from New Testament principles. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." I've mentioned earlier that I'm no proponent of prosperity gospel - that is, I don't believe God wants Christians to be rich and successful just because they believe. But I don't think that's what's being claimed here. Instead, this quote simply embraces the concept of free will and the impact it can have on our daily lives if we truly own the principle. My favorite quote of the lot: "We develop our own future by applying persistence to the possibilities." That's powerful stuff.I'm still not sure what it means for me to live a life that assumes success instead of failure. But I'm thinking about it seriously, and that's very cool.
