Believing is more than just thinking that something might possibly happen…it’s creating a 2nd, 3rd, or even 9,999th game plan, putting your physical comforts aside and risking your life, not concentrating on weaknesses but instead strengths, ignoring ridicule and rebelling against the status quo in order to create a better world for future descendants.

Thomas A. Edison BELIEVED that he could perfect the incandescent electric lamp despite the fact that he failed more than ten thousand times.

Columbus BELIEVED that he could find land in an uncharted ocean and he sailed on and on, despite the threatened mutiny of his sailors, the agony of hunger and the restlessness of the sea.

Helen Keller BELIEVED that she would learn to talk despite the fact she had no effective use of vocal cords, sight or hearing. Her belief in herself led her to become one of the great role models in our world.

Henry Ford BELIEVED that he could build a horseless buggy which would provide rapid transportation despite the fact that most people had no faith in his potential. His belief left the world driving to near and far destinations.

Our American Way of Life and our unmatchable system of Free Enterprise are the products of the minds of many who BELIEVED in a democratic system of government based upon the idea of free enterprise.

Those who BELIEVE are the builders of cathedrals, the creators of technological inventions and the artists of the masterpieces. Those who BELIEVE open doors for the rest of those who inhabit the Earth.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
—Margaret Mead

Inspired by an article from Success Unlimited and the writings of Napoleon Hill

We create our tomorrows by what we think about today. If we focus on our problems of the past, then they will inevitably show up in differing forms in our future. If we focus on our successes, then these too is what we will encounter again.

Thought patterns are habitual- awareness of thoughts is the first step to creating a better tomorrow. Focus on the excitement of realizing your potential success instead of lamenting in the sadness of your current problems. If everyone threw their problems into a gigantic pile, most of us would choose our problems over those of others. Where you are right now is the result of your past thought patterns. As soon as you take the first step to change these patterns, then your reality will begin to change.

After you have succeeded in becoming aware of your thoughts, the second step is to begin to filter them and decide if they are warranting a positive perspective. We are bombarded by thoughts. Successful people take the time to sift through those thoughts and decipher them. They determine whether they are helping them to be happy and achieve their dreams or sabotaging them in the quest for their desires. Happiness and success are simple results of a positive perspective. Imagine your mind to be a treasure chest and only fill it with gems and precious jewels, leave out the ugly rocks and blemished stones.

Lastly, take action…look for opportunities around you and act on them. No one reached the top of a mountain by merely thinking about climbing it. Be cognizant of that which surrounds you and allow yourself to step outside your comfort zone and grow to become an even bigger being. It’s in the uncomfortable frontier of our existence that our horizons are expanded.

September 4, 2009

This was the introduction to a Psychology Lesson on Perspectives, Attitudes and Metacognition taught to 11-13 year-olds in Northern California…

Sometimes it takes only a few, well-chosen words to motivate people in a positive direction—to try to succeed, to dream and to choose to be happy.

Class started in the usual manner…each student gave me 1 of the 3 H’s…pending their comfort zone…a high-five, a handshake or a hug.

Everyone loves a good story, so we started class with one….

“I am so excited because yesterday was one of the best days of my life…mornings tend to be hectic in our household, but we all cooperated and left the house a full 4 minutes ahead of schedule! Yahoo! Then, on the way to school we talked about Greek Mythology, one of my favorite subjects… specifically Zeus…and how his father, Cronos, thought he had swallowed him, but it was actually a swaddled rock…my kids were engaged, excited and energetic and so was I! Afterschool, my daughter had her first volleyball game…every single player did an amazing job, the sets were neck and neck and the team ended up winning, even after losing the first set! It was terrific! Then my daughter scored an amazing goal in her soccer scrimmage, it was an awesome shot from far out…all while my 2 little ones were playing nicely together…the entire day was fabulous and couldn’t be better…..Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a day where everything was awesome and couldn’t be better…seventeen hands shot up like rockets…I paused and scratched my head, crinkled my nose and hesitated….wait I minute, I continued….on second thought….

Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life…..Our pond out front had algae an inch thick growing on the surface, I was worried about the fish, so I put in some algae killer last night….I woke up to find 73 goldfish, 2 koi and 3 rainbow trout floating belly-up on the surface, I felt like I was going to throw-up…I had killed every single fish….then on the way to school our car broke down…we waited for AAA for 1 ½ hours- my kids were late for school and I didn’t get to work-out or complete any of the 5 things I really needed to get done that morning….not to mention that the car is going to cost hundreds of dollars to be fixed and I have to now drive my husband’s humungous truck which doesn’t turn when you really need it to….then, to make matters worse, at my daughter’s soccer scrimmage, my 2 little boys decided to play on an adjacent baseball diamond…at the end of the game they were covered with dirt from head-to-toe…although we were really looking forward to going out to dinner as a family, no restaurant manager in their right mind would allow 2 dirt-covered boys looking like gigantic tootsie rolls into their restaurant…we’d have to go home and get them into the bathtub and I’d have to cook dinner instead, definitely not what I was planning or wanting to do. Turn to your neighbor and share a day when everything went wrong…It was a horrible day and it couldn’t get any worse.”

A boy raised his hand…”What about your daughter scoring the soccer goal?” Another student chimed in, “ Yeah, and the volleyball team winning their first game, it wasn’t all bad…there were good things that happened too.”

“But, your car did break down and if you think about that, then it was a bad day,” replied a girl in the corner of the classroom.

“Yeah, but if you think about the soccer game, then it was a great day-it depends on what you choose to think about,” another added.

Looking baffled, I questioned, “So, you’re telling me that if I think about and focus on the good things, then it was a great day, but if I think about and focus on the bad things, then it was a horrible day?”

Nods…yes’s…and even some “you-got-its!” filled the room.

“Let me get this straight, you’re telling me that my thoughts are up to me and that everyday I can choose whether or not I want it to be spectacular or horrific? I get to decide my focus and therefore my thoughts, emotions and behaviors? So, if you are unhappy, then its because you’re choosing to focus on what’s going wrong instead of what’s going right?” I said.

A resounding “Yes!” echoed throughout the classroom.

“What are you going to choose your day to be like today? Tomorrow? Two weeks from Sunday?”

“Great, happy, fantastic, spectacular, awesome.” The responses were varied but of a common theme.

I then wrote PERSPECTIVE on the whiteboard…. “Remember this word and copy it into your notebook. You students are awesome…most adults live out their lives without figuring this out and you guys understood it in 15 minutes…your perspective on your world is what really matters.” I offered.

Moral of the lesson…We are bombarded by thoughts. Successful people take the time to sift through those thoughts and decipher them. They determine whether they are helping them to be happy and achieve their dreams or sabotaging them in the quest for their desires. Happiness and success are simple results of positive PERSPECTIVES. The majority of adults don’t understand this concept…what a pleasure to be in a class of 11-13 year olds who understand the importance of metacognition- thinking about our own thinking!