Brian Tracy argues negative thoughts are your biggest obstacle to success. At 21, he realized rationalization and caring too much what others think feed negativity. His fix: accept full responsibility for your life and repeat "I am responsible" when negative thinking starts.
Hello, I'm Brian Tracy and today I want to talk to you about why negative thoughts are your greatest enemy to success and how to banish them forever. I still remember the moment when I realized how to get rid of negative thoughts. I was 21 years old. I was broke and living in a small one room apartment in the middle of a very cold winter, working on a construction job during the day. In the evening, I usually couldn't afford to go out of my apartment, so I had a lot of time to think. One night, as I sat at my small kitchen table, I had a flash of awareness that changed my life forever. I suddenly realized that negative thoughts were destroying my success. I saw clearly at that moment that if anything in my life were going to change, it would have to begin with me. If I didn't change, nothing else would change. I was responsible and I needed to make it happen myself. I still remember that moment. Even as we talk, I still remember. It was like a first parachute jump, both scary and exhilarating. There I was, standing at the edge of life and I decided to jump. From that moment onward, I accepted that I was in charge of my life. I knew that if I wanted my situation to be different, I would have to be different. Everything, including my success in life, was up to me. The greatest enemies to your success in life are negative thoughts and negative emotions of all kinds. They hold you down, they tire you out, and they take away all your joy in life. From the beginning of time, they have done more harm to individuals and societies than all the plagues of history. One of your most important goals, if you want to be truly happy, is to free yourself from negative thinking. Rationalization causes automatic negative thoughts. This was part of my study into negative emotions. When you rationalize, you attempt to give what is called a socially acceptable explanation for an otherwise socially unacceptable act. Look it up in the dictionary. You rationalize to explain away or put a favorable spin on something that you have done that you feel bad or unhappy about. You cast yourself in the role of the victim and you mark the other person or organization into the oppressor or the bad guy. Over concern or hypersensitivity about the way other people treat you also causes negative thoughts and negative emotions. For some people, their entire self image is determined by the way other people speak to them or talk to them or think about them or even look at them. They have little sense of personal value or self worth apart from the opinion of others. If those opinions of others are negative for any reason, real or imagined, the victim immediately experiences anger embarrassment, shame, self pity, and sometimes despair. The antidote of negative thoughts of all kinds is for you to accept complete responsibility for your situation now and for the rest of your life. You cannot say the wonderful words I am responsible and still feel angry. The very act of accepting responsibility short circuits and cancels out any negative thoughts that you may be experiencing. Resolve to avoid negative thoughts. This is your moment to decide not to let self doubt control your life. Now that you've decided to take control, find out your level of self confidence and tap into your true potential. Before we wrap up, I'd like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers. Decide in advance to respond positively and constructively to every adversity. Now, I'd love to hear from you, and here's what I want you to try. The next time you find yourself speaking or thinking negatively, repeat the phrase I am responsible over and over until you are no longer thinking negatively. How does that make you feel? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now. If you enjoyed this video and you feel it was valuable in teaching you about positive thinking, subscribe to my channel like this video and share this video with your friends. Don't forget to click the button on the screen for a free gift. Thanks again for watching.
