Change the Way You Think and Change Your Life

Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day and a security guard at night. He needs these two incomes in order to stay above water in his bills. He has Wednesday's off on both jobs and that is the day he gets everything done. Yes, he's tired all the time, but hey, how else is he expected to make a living.

One Wednesday, Dennis attended a seminar giving by motivational speaker, Dawn Fields, and discovered his life purpose is to be a writer. He always liked to write. He was never serious about it but it was always something he did that helped him get in touch with his creative side and he really enjoyed it.

After the seminar, Dennis was gun-ho about his writing. He figured he would bring some notepads and pencils with him to his security guard job and instead of watching television while on duty, he would spend his free time writing.

The next day after attending the seminar, Thursday, he was diligent with his writing. But after writing three pages, he torn it up and told himself that it was horrible. He started again. This time, he didn't get past the first page before he balled the paper up and threw it in the garbage. He started again and this time he got to page four before he decided that he simply was not a good writer. What was he thinking? He couldn't write anything that anyone would be interested in reading. He simply wasn't good enough.

He wasn't even good in English when he was in high school. He can't even remember how many times he brought home a C- or a D in English. He can still hear his father saying, "Boy, you must really be dumb."

That's it. He's dumb. He knew it. How could he possibly be a writer when he is dumb? That motivational speaker was the cause of all of this. If it weren't for her pumping him up into thinking he could do this, he never ever would have tried and therefore he wouldn't have to put himself in this position that is now making him feel so miserable.

You see, Dennis will never be the writer he was meant to be, unless and until he changes the way he thinks about himself. Somewhere along the line, either Dennis or Dennis' father, or perhaps someone else, has convinced Dennis that he is dumb and cannot write. Although Dennis loves to write and considers writing to be a way in which he expresses himself creatively, he believes that his writing is not good enough for others to read or enjoy.

Dennis has a problem. But it's a problem that can be fixed.

So many of us know that we have the capability to do something wonderful and enjoyable with our lives, yet we allow ourselves and others, to sabotage our efforts. We listen to negative information and take it into our minds as if this negative information were indeed facts about us. Before we know it, we start believing it to be true.

The solution: learn to think positive.

Yeah, Dawn. I know that. I've heard it a thousands times. But how do I really think positive when I have all this negative information inside of me that has been inside of me for years. It's easier said than done.

Well, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that it's simple and if you do XYZ by tomorrow you will be able to remove all the negative doubts you have about yourself and replace them with positive thoughts.

But what I will tell you is how to start changing your doubts about yourself, into positive feelings that will help you believe you can live the life you were born to live. And that the longer you tell yourself that this is true, the more you will start to believe that it is true, thereby pushing out of your mind, all the negative garbage that was inside of you.

Here's the key and action point for this week. Learn to develop your imagination. Let's use our example, Dennis, to show how he would use his imagination to eliminate his doubts about himself.

? Step #1: Use your imagination to visualize yourself in the position you want to be. While Dennis is on his security guard job, instead of watching television, he should close his eyes and imagine himself as a world-famous, #1 best-selling, author. Imagine he is touring the world to promote his famous book. Imagine himself promoting his book on Oprah and having his book as a part of her book club. Imagine he is living the lifestyle of a best selling author.

? Step #2: Pray. Dennis should pray and tell the Lord that he wants to live his life using the talents that the Lord so thoughtfully given him. He should ask God to open his channels of creativity so that his creativity can flow and he will be able to write freely and be self-assured.

? Step #3: Give yourself positive affirmations, daily. Dennis should tell himself that he is a good writer. He should look in a mirror and say, "I am a Great writer. I am the best. I am a best selling author." He should say this as many times during the day that he remembers to. Even if he doesn't have a mirror to look into, he can still say it to himself until he starts to believe it.

? Step#4: Become aware of your thoughts. If Dennis finds himself saying that he is not a writer; that he's dumb and can't write a best seller, he must immediately stop himself and change his thinking. Replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.

Your brain is constantly at work. It never stops. Even when you are asleep, your brain is still fully functioning. Become conscious of the thoughts you have during the day. If you find yourself thinking, "Oh, I could never do that." "I'm always messing up." "I'm not good enough." "I'm not worthy."

STOP IMMEDIATELY.

Change your thoughts to positive ones. "I could do that if I try hard enough." "I never mess up. I simply have to practice more." "I am good enough." "I'm worthy."

With practice, Dennis started changing the way he thought. He started believing that he COULD be a writer and that he COULD write a best seller. He continuous prayed to God and followed his instincts and hunches. His creativity started flowing. While he was on his security guard job, he worked and worked and worked on his writing.

Today, he has finished his first book and has a publisher interested in it. It will only be a matter of time before he will be able to be that best-selling author he dreamed about.

If Dennis hadn't decided to change the way he thought, he would have spent his entire life working two low paying jobs that were neither rewarding or fulfilling. He would have never started living the life God had planned for him.

What about you? What thoughts are you telling yourself? Change your negative thoughts to positive thoughts and you will change your life.

© 2004 www.dawnfields.com

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and life coach. Visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and be sure to sign up for Your Life's Purpose newsletter by sending a blank email to dawn@dawnfields.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, and check out her radio show each Thursday night at 9 p.m. at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm.