Powerful Thoughts
In 1881, the New York YWCA's proposed typing lessons for woman
brought protests citing "the female constitution would break
down under the strain." I wonder how many women believed that
and didn't sign up? Or how many would-be-travelers listened when
"experts" determined that riding a speeding train of fifteen
miles an hour would cause them to suffocate in tunnels as blood
spurted from their noses? These incorrect thoughts are amusing
now. But, don't laugh too hard. We have plenty of our own that
limit progress and hold us back.
Once Roger Bannister ran a mile under four minutes, proving that
the human heart could hold up when running that fast, others
quickly followed. And once Olympic champion, Vasily Alexeev
broke the weight lifting barrier of 500 pounds, other
weight-lifters broke his record knowing it was possible. Yet
before he could do it himself, Alexeev's trainers changed his
limiting belief by rigging 501.5 pounds of weights to look like
499.
Our thoughts are powerful. What we belief to be true, often is.
One of my favorite stories involves an elementary school teacher
who was delighted the first day of school to see what a smart
class she'd been given. Next to each child's name were numbers
like 138, 140, 154. Taking these numbers as the students' IQs,
the teacher worked extra hard to challenge the class. By the end
of the year, the progress was remarkable. It was then that she
discovered the numbers weren't their IQs but their lockers.
Are your thoughts limiting or invigorating? Self-restricting or
self-empowering? Think it's impossible and you'll build your own
walls. Think you can't and you set yourself up for a
self-fulfilling result. Think you can and your thinking can help
make it happen. Take Florence Griffith-Joyner who wrote in her
diary before the l988 Olympic Games that she would win the
100-meter dash in 10:54 seconds. She did win in exactly 10:54
seconds. That's because thoughts can determine reality.
Years ago, I told a friend about a promotion that would take me
from what I knew into a new discipline. She quickly responded,
"Nan, how could you say yes? You won't know what you're doing."
It surprised me. I'd never thought of saying anything other than
yes. "I'll figure it out," I told her. And I did. My thinking
told me I could figure things out. Her thinking told her she
couldn't. That difference played out in our careers.
People who are winning at working understand there's power to
their thoughts. Power to bring results, create realities and
banish walls. Power to overcome challenges, eliminate barriers
and achieve what others only dream. Want to be winning at
working? Power your thoughts to positively impact your future.
(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.