“Whether you think you can,
or think you can’t, you’re right.”
-Henry Ford
Think about that sentence.
Read it again. S-l-o-w-l-y.
Whether you think you CAN…
Or think you CAN’T…
You’re right.
There’s your truest power – right there. This is the beginning point for everything; the starting place for creating a foundation on which you will stand as you step into your own personal power.
There is nothing simpler – nor more complex – than the power of your thoughts. Nothing.
Imagine this.
Imagine that you have your very own superhero power. Remember the Fantastic 4? Well – you’ve joined them. Now it’s the Fantastic 5! Yay you!
And your unique superhero power is this: you have the power to Speak Words into Being.
Everything you say comes true. Literally. Everything.
Which is really cool – because you can say to your friend:
“Sandy, I just know that the perfect, perfect guy is going to walk into your life this year. I just know it! He’s going to be exactly what you need – smart, kind, confident – employed…. and great looking too…” :)
You’ve suddenly made Sandy’s day – because THAT guy walks into the office at that exact moment. And their connection is – well – magic.
But as is the case with all superpowers, you also have to really watch it.
Because – for example – if you say:
“Goodness! It’s raining cats and dogs out there!”
Suddenly furry four-legged of all shapes and sizes are falling from the sky. I won’t paint the picture for you, but let’s just say there’s lots of unintended consequences right there.
Or if you say to your friend, Christy, at the front desk:
“Wow! You look like a million bucks today!”
She vanishes completely and a big messy pile of a million green, crisp dollar bills falls all over the reception area where she was once sitting. Aack! Christy!!
Or suddenly you’re squished in the middle of a million antlered deer restlessly pushing and shoving against each other, the walls of the building, and you. Oops.
So when you also say:
“Who am I kidding – I can’t do this. I’m just not meant to….” (Get that promotion, learn how to speak French, “ever have any money”.) Well, you’ve just created that reality too.
So, as with any hero who wakes up one day with a surprise superpower, you have to learn to manage it.
You must protect your thoughts with conscious intention. You must make sure you’re thinking what you really mean to be thinking, so you can create the reality that you really mean to be creating.
This takes a while to learn how to do. It requires a kind of self-awareness that most of us do not typically practice. And yet, it is critical to learn this as you begin this journey.
It is the first step to creating personal power.
And here are three things to learn as you practice your newly realized superpower.
1. WATCH WHAT YOU THINK.
Thoughts have power of their own, so make sure yours are using their power wisely. Quantum physics has proven that we can move molecules, effect the behavior of energy, just with the power of thought.
If this is so, then our thoughts have the power to effect our lives, our bodies, our experience – at the cellular level.
Limiting beliefs that stem from childhood or past experience become our reality today. Learning to recognize those beliefs, and working to consciously replace them with new beliefs isn’t easy – but it is possible.
To begin to create personal power, you must consciously create the thought that you are power-full. “I am a powerful and creative woman. I am a competent adult. I know what I’m doing here, and if I don’t, I am perfectly capable of figuring it out.”
Or as I used to say to my kids when they were little:
Can’t never could.
Can always will.
2. WATCH WHAT YOU SAY.
I cannot emphasize this enough. Language is power. What you say in your head matters. That casual comment you toss off to a friend matters.
A sharp, silver too-cool convertible zooms past you on the interstate, flying down the highway with an ease that is beautiful to watch.
Your first thought is, “Boy I’d love to have a car like that some day….”
And then, “Yeah right! I’ll never be able to afford anything like that!”
STOP that. CHANGE it.
“Man-o-man do I look forward to the day when I’ll be able to afford a car like that. It’s gonna be great!”
You’ve launched your business with all the hope and excitement that this new adventure deserves. It is SO exciting to hang out a shingle and declare to the world who you are and how you’re ready to serve them. You get your first client. And maybe your second. But they’re few and too-far between, and your optimism fades.
“Who am I kidding? Maybe I’m not cut out for this business stuff after all.”
STOP that. CHANGE it.
“Hey look! I got my first clients! Now I just need to learn to market myself better so I can attract even more…”
Watch your language. Decide what you want, and speak as if it were already true.
Focus on what you CAN do,
not on what you CAN’T.
3. …AND WATCH OUT FOR EEYORE.
When I first started Secret Adventures for Courageous Women, I was so excited, and nervous, by the whole idea that I didn’t even mention it to one of my best friends. He was a bit of a worrier, and I was worrying enough on my own. I didn’t need any help. :)
But then, thanks to Courageous Woman, Renee Hunter, I discovered kayaking.
Suddenly, I was planning a trip that required me to have nine kayaks ready and waiting as a surprise at the perfect launch in a perfect spot in my beautiful perfect Smoky Mountains.
I was beside myself with excitement – and couldn’t hide it any more. It was kind of hard not to notice that something was up. So, he finally asked, “What IS this thing you’re doing?”
“Well,” I said, “I’m taking this wonderful group of women out for an Adventure and they don’t know what it is – and I’m taking them kayaking!” I wish you could have heard the sheer glee in my voice. I’ll never forget what that moment felt like.
His reaction? “Wow! I hope you have good insurance!”
Yeah. I know.
You’d think there would at least be a “Wow! What a cool idea!” first.
But – uhm – no.
Watch out for the Eeyores in your life. Negative people will drain your energy faster than air leaves an untied balloon. Protect your energy. Stay away from people like this as much as possible, and when you can’t avoid them, limit what you share with them.
Don’t give them a chance to deflate your dreams, or positive Intentions.
Over the next week:
Pay attention to words like “can’t, not, didn’t, won’t” in your daily speech. Watch yourself when you’re complaining, whining or making a negative joke. Catch it. Fix it. Turn it around. See what happens.
Image Source: Flickr