Open Your Mind!
A concept I picked up from recovery groups and treatment facilities is this: You can't fix a brain like that, with a brain like that.
What do they mean? Well ... The mind is what produces thoughts, those thoughts become actions, and those actions become habits. So, in the past my mind consistently took me to the worst places: jails, hospitals, institutions, suffering. The thoughts, actions, and habits I always had, always lead me down the wrong path.
One day I realised: maybe my brain and my way of thinking is not the best answer after all. Maybe someone else's way of doing things might bring a different result?! Maybe following someone's else's thinking might lead me somewhere else?!
What a thought!
I always tell people, if I had had just one more idea, I wouldn't be here today. Luckily for me, I had run out of ideas, and it was time to start accepting some other people's thoughts instead.
Nowadays, I use the thinking of several others. I value the experience, opinion, and advice of several mentors, coaches, and advisories.
This idea of connecting with others, and being open to life coaches, personal development gurus, mentors, sponsors, etc, is incredibly important to me now and I would advise anyone and everyone to do the same. Go find someone you respect, someone who has "been there, done that", someone who has achieved what YOU want in life, and then open your ears and your eyes to them. The relationship that develops when you start listening to the advice, counseling, or coaching from others who are more experienced than you, has been key to my success today. I cannot stress enough, just how important it is to open your mind and accept someone else's point of view.
If you are selective in those you choose to listen to, you can really get very effective advice, new ideas, and counselling that can transform your life with strong results and positive benefits - from personal relationships, to career choices, to physical fitness. Teaching ourselves with the experience and advice of others is so incredibly powerful. Why make the mistakes others have made? Let yourself learn from their past, give yourself the greatest chance of success you can!
I have my professors in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who teach me and impact my life hugely. This has provided combined mental, physical, and spiritual training. I have an AA mentor I greatly admire, trust, and turn to. I have a few favourite public figures I follow. To use an expression from one such guru - Zig Ziglar - I have turned my car into an "Automobile University": I listen to audio books during the week while driving, and learn. My goal is to enhance my understanding, my knowledge, and my life, while getting from A to B.
Here is an an initial recommended reading (&/or listening) list for you to check out:
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
- Seek First To Understand, Then to be Understood. by Stephen R. Covey
- Podcast Youpreneur by Chris Ducker
So go look them up, find some others for yourself, and enjoy! And most of all ... open your mind!
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