What's on YOUR Mind?

I listen to recorded CD's, that I get with SUCCESS Magazine, in my car. They always have interesting stuff, usually interviews and snippets of talks made by some really interesting speakers. One of the most interesting guys I hear is the late Jim Rohn, who was known as "one of the world's greatest teachers and thought leaders of our time" Pretty impressive title eh? He had a great delivery style and an interesting voice, not to mention the things he talked about being pretty darned fascinating.

This month's CD, featured a classic excerpt with Jim talking about the mind. He said, "Our lives are mostly affected by the way we THINK things are."

This is nothing new, we're all familiar with "the power of positive thinking;" the concept of "attraction" as outlined in the film The Secret; the benefits of maintaining a positive mental attitude; and we might even have read Napoleon Hill's famous book, Think and Grow Rich. It's all about the same thing: better thinking habits. Positive thinking habits.

Rohn offered a quote from someone he admired, "Poor thinking habits keep most people poor." He said, "The mind is like a "mental factory and what ever you think about all day long pours ingredients into this factory." The thoughts you are entertaining all day determine what you'll be experiencing.

He even quoted the bible where it says, "As you think, so shall you become." So this is, as I said before, nothing new.

Jim told about how he used to get up in the morning, get a cup of coffee and read the newspaper and start the day having to think about wars, murders, crime, rapes, riots, killings, muggings, robberies and stabbings. It's just not a great way to start the day because it puts you in a pessimistic frame of mind when you should be starting the day with optimism!

What do you read? If you're just filling your mind with trash, what can your mental factory generate for you? Everything starts with thought, so you must be careful with your thoughts. If you're thinking negative, you'll probably experience negativity.

Another quote he used: "Every day stand guard at the door of your mind." Decide what goes in and keep the rest out. Stay away from negative influences. Don't let negativity, pessimism, failure and general trash creep in. Think about the possibilities — be thankful for what you have, not what you don't have. Move forward without looking back.

What has this got to do with marketing? Simple: as in all things, concentrate on what you do well, what your customers like best, and do more of it. Pursue your goals because you know you can achieve them and don't dwell on the negative possibilities. Don't be influenced by the bad news that's all around, find the opportunities and forge ahead.

Your mind controls it all. What do you think?