Welcome to this edition of Action Mail!

This monthly correspondence is intended to help you stay focused on what you are trying to achieve and take better AIM toward your goals.  It's all about action.  Your actions can either be purposeful or wasteful; focused or fragmented; coordinated or disjointed.  It's up to you.  I believe the single most important skill for busy people is the ability to synchronize their thoughts, goals and actions.  That takes practice, and it takes a daily commitment.

Motivation Works, Inc.
1905 Scenic Highway
Suite 640-214
Snellville, GA 30078

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Attempting the Impossible

Success is not determined by your circumstances, but by your actions. Where do your actions come from? The truth is that every action is a result of a preceding thought. This means, if you are able to manage your thinking in a constructive way, then you can manifest desired actions and results with greater consistency and success. I'll take the suggestion one step further with this statement: It is impossible to act in a manner inconsistent with your thinking.

That may initially sound like an outrageous claim, but if you examine and test the statement, I believe you'll find it to be completely accurate. If you are trying to accomplish something while thinking contradictory thoughts, you are trying to pull off an impossible feat, setting yourself up for frustration and failure.

Remarkably, the opposite is also true. If you flood your mind with images of your success and the realization of positive outcomes, then it becomes impossible to act as if you will fail. I am not saying it is impossible to fail. Setbacks, of course, are part of growth. But, when you are acting as if you are already successful, your actions will support that reality, and you will enjoy a much greater likelihood of manifesting the results you desire.

We tend to stand back as interested spectators and allow our thoughts to play out before us. Sometimes, our thinking is enjoyable, supportive and positive. Other times, our thoughts can be destructive, debilitating and negative in nature. The great news is that your internal dialogue, or "thought script," is something within your control. You are the writer, director and star of the show, and you always have a choice between positive and negative thoughts.

Suspend Your Disbelief

I can sense you beginning to doubt the practicality of this advice. Even in the midst of a message about positive thinking, the negative thoughts creep in to sabotage your transformation, such as:

• "Nobody can be positive all the time."
• "I just can't do it."
• "The world is such a negative place. Does he expect me to just ignore it?"
• "Part of my character is my negative thinking and sarcasm. People expect it from me."

All of us have negative thoughts which invade our brains. That is absolutely normal, and there is nothing wrong with it. What is destructive, though, is allowing these thoughts to take up permanent residence or go unrecognized. When experiencing a negative result, we can usually trace it back to a negative thought. At that point, the solution is not to battle with the negative representation, seeking to destroy it and banish it from our thinking. I suggest a gentler, more effective method for dealing with the demons of negativity. Suspend your disbelief.

Recall the experience of going to a movie that you thoroughly enjoyed. This film had you completely captivated. You sat down and absolutely gave yourself to the storyline, images, characters and implausible events which transpired. In the theatrical world, this is called the audience's "suspension of disbelief." It is a decision, conscious or unconscious, to surrender to the experience by adopting the mindset, "What if this really happened?" This is a technique you can use to diffuse negativity in your own life. Instead of combating your self doubts or dismissing them as unimportant, you should acknowledge them. Then, temporarily suspend your disbelief and circumvent the negativity with "What if's," such as:

• "What if I could be more positive more often?"
• "What if I could learn this new skill?"
• "What if the world were a more positive place?"
• "What if my true nature was to be more positive and helpful to others?"

I dedicate several days each month to work as a trainer for Cirque du Soleil's youth outreach program in Atlanta. Perhaps you have experienced the phenomenon of this one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. Cirque du Soleil's performances combine circus acts with theater, high tech lighting, elaborate stages, ingenious storylines and innovative music. While at a "Cirque" performance, it is quite easy to suspend your disbelief.

What you may not know is that Cirque du Soleil is a company with a high moral conscience that dedicates a significant part of their resources to helping others, particularly in the area of assisting "at risk" youth. The founders of Cirque were themselves, street kids. They rose from very humble beginnings and never forgot their roots. The program is called "Cirque du Monde," which is French for "Circus of the World." Cirque du Monde programs span the globe, impacting major cities on five continents. As one of the Atlanta trainers, I have the tremendous opportunity to work with teenagers who have been abused, neglected or otherwise damaged by negative circumstances. We teach circus skills, including juggling, trapeze, unicycling, clowning and gymnastics. But what we really teach is self confidence and trust. This is amazing, rewarding work.

Recently at a Cirque du Monde session, I was working with a fifteen year old boy who had excelled at many of the skills. Yet, for some reason, he had not learned to juggle. Because of the anonymity of this program, I cannot tell you his real name. Let's just call him "Chance." I approached Chance and said "How about learning to juggle today?"

"No," he replied, seemingly uninterested. But I could tell there was more to his answer than indifference.
"Why not, Chance?" I asked.
"I can't do it."
"Not with that attitude, you can't."

His honest confession of his self doubt gave me the perfect opportunity to talk with him about limiting beliefs. I explained that it is impossible to act in a manner inconsistent with your thinking. "If you've tried it in the past while you were telling yourself you couldn't, you were trying something impossible. Now, if you would like to learn, I know I can teach you, but first you have to change your thinking. What if you could learn to juggle today? Do you think that is possible?"

He agreed that it was, in fact, possible, so I asked him to suspend his disbelief for awhile and just focus on the possibility of learning today. Within minutes, Chance was juggling. His transformation and excitement were heartwarming, but the real payoff would not come for three more weeks.

At the end of each ten week session, we offer a performance to the counselors, supporters and other students within the facility. Chance had not only mastered juggling, but had learned to perform it while standing atop a "rolling globe." He stole the show. Afterward, the trainers and students were watching a videotape of the performance. When Chance's routine came up, he watched with pride, then turned to another student and spoke. "You see that right there? That is a perfect example of why you should never tell yourself you can't do something. I was so sure I couldn't juggle, but Mr. Dan said I could, and he changed my mind about it." Chance had become the teacher and encourager. I was speechless and extremely gratified, praying that the message would help him overcome other challenges down the road.

What limiting thoughts are stunting your personal growth? What "impossible" feat are you attempting to accomplish? Suspend your disbelief. Give yourself permission to succeed. It's show time!

All the best of success,

Dan