Greater Success Comes when Positive Affirmations Replace Negative Thinking

Though definition of success is different for every person, we all want to enjoy success in life. Why does success come more easily for some people, while others feel like nothing good ever happens for them? The answer is we tend to get what we believe we'll get.

Successful people share certain common behaviors that enhance their ability to succeed. Following are 4 traits that success-oriented people share.

Successful people think their way to success.

Isn't it amazing the negative things we can think every day? While brushing our hair, we think "l'm going to look terrible today." When reading a job description, out comes "No one would hire me for that." When our spouse says, "I love you," we think, "He/she's just saying that because -- "

When we allow negative thoughts to bully us and to damage our self-concept, we become our own worst enemy. If we want success in life, we have to believe in ourselves. To believe in ourselves, we have to cast out negative thoughts. We cast out negative thoughts by speaking affirmations.

Affirmations, according to a dictionary.com definition, are "statements or propositions that are declared to be true."

Joyce Meyer, author of Battlefield of the Mind, teaches how to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. She says to replace negative thoughts with affirmations from the bible.

"I'm so ugly," a negative thought, is replaced with, "I'm fearfully and wonderfully made" (Proverbs 139:14 New International Version). A statement like, "I can't handle this job," is replaced with "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Replacing negative thoughts with positive affirmations takes time. At first, you may not feel much change. Over time, positive affirmations will outnumber negative thoughts. That's when you'll notice a positive change in the way you think about yourself.

Controlling negative thoughts is a daily, on-going process. Try positive affirmations. You'll be surprised how quickly you become your own best friend!

Successful people don't let peoples' opinions derail their success.

If you're working on something you love, or you dream big, or you do something outside the norm--whatever you do, someone is going to have negative opinions about it! Just as you correct the negative thoughts that you tell yourself, you have to correct negative statements that people say to you.

Maybe you plan to travel the world by hot air balloon. Peoples' negative statements might include, "You're crazy. That'll never happen." Listen to what people say, but don't internalize the negative. If you're serious about your dream, stick with it. Listen to wise advice, plan for setbacks, but never be stopped by peoples' negative statements.

Successful people know failure is part of success.

Failure is a stepping stone to success. Let's go back to the hot air balloon. You decide to do a practice ride from one city to another, but something goes wrong. You're grounded within an hour of the launch. Does the dream end there? Or do you learn from the "failure" and keep moving toward success?

If scientists gave up every time an experiment failed, we'd never have any scientific success stories. Scientists persistently research and experiment until they uncover the "success" they're looking for.

Successful people persistently pursue success.

It's normal to get excited about a new idea, but then feel your enthusiasm waning. Maybe you experience a failure and wonder what you were thinking to dream so big. Don't let feelings or failures rob you of success.

Do you remember that the late John Kennedy, Jr. took the NY State Bar Exam 2 times before passing it? Can you imagine how embarrassing that was? He had to ignore embarrassing feelings, push past failure and retake the exam.

People are successful because they don't give up. They experience failures and disappointments, just like anybody else. They re-charge, learn from both positive and negative experiences, and keep moving towards the prize.

Thus, attaining success comes primarily from controlling your own thoughts about yourself, refusing to internalize peoples' negative opinions, accepting failure as a stepping stone to success, and refusing to let setbacks and feelings derail you. Only you can define what "success" means in your life. Only you can take the needed steps to make your wildest dreams come true.

Sources:

"Affirmation|Define Affirmation at Dictionary.com" Dictionary.com|Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com Web. 01 Aug. 2011 Web.

Meyer, Joyce. Battlefield of the Mind. Missouri: Life in the Word, Inc., 1995. Print.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Fully rev. ed. Kenneth L. Barker, gen. ed.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print