The Sunny Side #8: Norman Vincent Peale

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." ~Norman Vincent Peale

You are what you think, should be what people say, but you can rule over your thoughts to make yourself (and your future) better!

So you got into another screaming match with your mate. It didn't turn out well. Several hours later, you haven't made up yet. But do you want to?

Usually the answer is yes. So how do you go about doing that?

Obviously, you can't go into an apology tour with the same attitude and mindset that created this mess in the first place. Something has to change.

A project flopped at work. It wasn't your fault, you weren't on that job. But you're now tasked with fixing that project. You certainly know what's wrong so do you do the same thing as the previous person? Of course not! The situation needs to change!

Firstly, don't start blaming anyone. The criticism game doesn't help anything and sets you back. You need to push forward!

You can't make the world, your mate, your work into anything different. You can't change what they inherantly are. But you CAN change YOU!

You can change your thoughts, which changes your actions, which can then influence those people and things around you that you wish to change! It might not help in the long run, the other situation may never change, but if your thoughts and actions change you'll have a greater chance of success!

Your boss denied your raise. Don't get angry! Think! Why did he deny it? Is your performance up to par? Did you do your assignments correctly and on-time? Is your boss just a jerk (in which case you might want to change jobs as well as your thinking!)? How can you correct yourself and get that raise?

You want that new car or game but don't have the money for it. Think! What can you do to raise that money? Can you do odd jobs for neighbors or friends? Can you work a little overtime? Can you sell some things you don't need? (Just for a note, try to stay away from going into debt for a toy. It's not worth it!)

You want to be a great golfer. Think! How does a golfer think? What do they do to make them a good golfer, putter, driver? What do you need to do, buy, borrow to become a great golfer? If you're not good yet, get the mindset and study what the pros do!

Just remember, you can't dig yourself out of a hole by digging some more, unless you're digging sideways and up! If you keep digging down, you'll never get out. Your mind got you into the situation you're in and it can get you out with just some minor tweeking!