A Tale of Two Songs

Pretty much any self help book you can buy will stress the importance of having a positive mental attitude to life if you wish you achieve ultimate success.

Think of the grand-daddy of them all, “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale, still selling well today, despite being first published long ago, back in the fifties. The theme of that book has been picked up by numerous self improvement books and courses, and indeed it is a pre-requisite for success.

The power of the mind has long been acknowledged as an essential ingredient in bringing desires to fruition. Remember the mantra “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve”. And that’s the order they come in: conceive – believe – achieve.

But how do you bring this concept into your everyday life?

You can read stories like “The little engine that could”, or read biographies of high achievers.

Read the story of Arnold Schwartzenegger, born in Austria, who pictured himself winning the world body building contest, and then did it. He then came to America, with nothing other than that achievement, great though it was. He spoke broken English (still does!) and had no acting history or ability (in some people’s minds he still doesn’t!). In spite of this he became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, instantly recognizable in voice and looks. Then, when he had achieved just about everything he wanted, a successful career, wealth, a beautiful and well connected wife, he set himself the task of becoming the governor of California. As he said in his inaugural address “I came to California with nothing, and California has given me everything”. And who knows, if the Constitution is ever changed to allow foreign born nationals to take the oath of office, who would bet against him becoming President?

So, you can read books and biographies, but perhaps you are telling yourself that you don’t have the time for that, or you could never do that. Arnie must have had some lucky breaks, you tell yourself. This reminds me of the cricketer who always seemed to be lucky, in that most of the umpire’s decisions went his way, he caught every catch that was offered, and always seemed to produce the right innings at the right time. When asked to comment on his seeming luck he replied “Yes, it seems the harder I work on my game and practice, the luckier I seem to get.”

This brings me to the infamous Mrs.Yebbut. You’ll find she’s a relative of most people who never seem to get anywhere. They’ll have a brilliant idea, and get filled with enthusiasm, but soon Mrs.Yebbut comes to visit.

An example – a marvelous opportunity comes about to invest in some real estate, a great deal, and a win-win situation for everyone.

Yebbut “what if real estate prices go down?”
Yebbut “what if the tenants default on their rent”

Well I guess you get the idea, and the inevitable result. Enthusiasm is lost, and the deal goes to someone else. Of course the real estate price doesn’t go down, and landlords’ insurance takes care of any rent shortfalls.

So once again, how do you get a positive mental attitude, and more importantly, how can you keep it in your mind the whole day long?

Well, remember those songs you hear, and then you can’t get them out of your head? Use this concept – it’s an easy way to stay positive all day, if you choose the right song.