The Thought Sifter

Discover The Wisdom That Separates The Successful From The Unsuccessful

Copyright © 2018 The Thought Sifter

All rights reserved.
Published by Gladys.C
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The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation
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While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this
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In practical advice books, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of
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individual circumstances to act accordingly.

This book is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or
financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals
in legal, business, accounting and finance fields.

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Contents.
Why Thinking Like Successful People Is Good & Important? ......................................................... 5

How Reading This eBook Will Help You? ........................................................................................ 9

How To Overcome Negative Thinking. ......................................................................................... 12

25 Things Incredibly Successful People Do. .................................................................................. 20

1. They First Change How They Think & Feel ............................................................................ 20

2. They Believe They Deserve Success ...................................................................................... 20

3. They Overcome Past Events & Patterns ................................................................................ 21

4. They Silence Their Critical Voice ........................................................................................... 21

5. They’re Willing To Fail, Repeatedly ....................................................................................... 22

6. They Do Important Things First ............................................................................................. 23

7. They Get Clear & Then Take Daily Action ............................................................................. 23

8. Focusing On What Matters ................................................................................................... 23

9. They Don’t Have Endless To-Do Lists .................................................................................... 24

10. Bouncing Off Ideas With Other People ............................................................................... 24

11. They Use The 80/20 Rule .................................................................................................... 24

12. Learning To Quiet The Mind................................................................................................ 24

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13. Having An Optimistic Outlook ............................................................................................. 24

14. They’re Not Afraid To Be Unconventional .......................................................................... 25

15. They Follow Through ........................................................................................................... 25

16. They Collaborate With Others............................................................................................. 25

17. They Know They Can Do It .................................................................................................. 25

18. They Develop Their Thoughts ............................................................................................. 25

19. They’re Not Afraid To Be Different ..................................................................................... 26

20. They Stand For What They Believe ..................................................................................... 26

21. They Go All In ...................................................................................................................... 26

22. They Learn From Their Failures ........................................................................................... 26

23. They Sacrifice For Their Dreams.......................................................................................... 26

24. They Network With Other Successful People ..................................................................... 27

25. They See Chain Reactions.................................................................................................... 28

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Why Thinking Like Successful

People Is Good & Important?
Can changing your thinking really change your life? Consider this: I’ve read countless studies
about successful people, and though the diversity you find among them is astounding, I believe
they are all alike in one way: how they think! That is the one thing that separates the successful
from the unsuccessful.

The good news is that it’s possible to learn how to think like a successful person. But before we
can learn from a good thinker, we need to know what they look like. You often hear someone
say that a colleague or friend is a “good thinker,” but that phrase means something different to
everyone. To one person it may mean having a high IQ, while to another it could mean knowing
a bunch of trivia or being able to figure out whodunit when reading a mystery novel.

I believe that good thinking isn’t just one thing. It consists of several specific thinking skills.
Becoming a good thinker means developing those skills to the best of your ability. There are
plenty of reasons, why you should think like successful people. When you know the reasons,
you would be more motivated to adopt this attitude.

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A. Happiness
A positive attitude awakens happiness. It is a matter of attitude. You become happy in general
when you adopt a positive frame of mind. Happiness does not depend on external causes. It
comes from inside you. You can be happy now. You don’t need to get a promotion, lose weight,
or win the lottery to be happy. It is a matter of attitude. Having a negative outlook on life will
make you unhappy, while being positive will make you happy.

B. Motivation
Thinking positively will help you accomplish goals and dreams. The tasks ahead become easier
to fulfill. Motivation is a wonderful trait and a positive quality to have. It encourages you,
pushes you forward, and helps you overcome challenges. A positive frame of mind boosts your
motivation to get what you want and succeed. It will make you believe you will get what you
want and will motivate you to achieve more than you ever expected.

C. Self Esteem
How you feel about yourself has much to do with the way you think and your attitude. You will
have a better opinion of yourself if you adopt a positive attitude and think positively, which
means a sense of self-esteem. See what is good and positive in you. This automatically
increases your self-esteem.

Don’t worry about what negative people say and think about you. The people around you
would treat you with more respect, and will have a better opinion of you when you have a
positive attitude toward yourself. Being good to yourself, loving yourself, and being happy, are
expressions of thinking positively. This attitude would also enhance your inner strength, your
courage, and self-confidence.

D. Better Health
People who think positively are usually more healthy and energetic than people who think
negatively. They are happier, and this of course, affects their health. Your mind has a strong
effect on your health and on your body. When you think positively your body recuperates
faster, and your immune system is healthier.

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E. Improved Relations
A positive way of thinking directly affects your relationships with other people. People tend to
keep a distance from negative people, and gravitate towards positive people. Positive people
bring happiness, joy and an uplifting energy to the whole environment, and are fun to be
around.

F. You Have Seen How A Negative Attitude Affects Others

You can probably come up with many examples of how a negative attitude or negative thinking
has turned into a negative situation. You can probably point out negative people and give
plenty of examples how that negative attitude is influencing their life.

Take a moment to list all of the people you know who generally have a negative disposition.
Now think of all the negative experiences they tell you about and all the negative news that
they share. How do you feel when you have to listen to all of that?

G. Your Own Experience

You may even be able to look at your own life and see how negativity has affected you. It’s
likely you have let a negative attitude direct you in at least one situation in your life. You can
probably look at that situation now and see just how the negative attitude worked against you.
Even if the situation was not a positive one, your negative attitude likely comes into play.

This demonstrates the destructive nature of a negative attitude; it also teaches you that you
want to do everything possible to make sure your attitude is positive. You need to start looking
at the positive. You have to train your mind to find the positive in everything. Take the negative
you cannot ignore and turn it into a positive. If it is something which has to be changed, identify
a positive action that you can take to change the situation.

H. A Positive Attitude Creates Belief And Determination

There are no roadblocks that you cannot conquer if you have a positive attitude. You are
determined to find a way past any obstacle which may block your path. You know that there
will be challenges but you are confident enough and determined enough to take them on. It is a
long time since Henry Ford told us that whether we believe that we can or believe that we

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cannot; we are right. Ford understood the importance of a positive attitude and that comment
is as true today as it was then.

I. A Positive Attitude Feeds Itself

When you adopt a positive attitude to life, it changes your life in many ways. It changes your
thoughts, your goals and the actions that you take on a daily basis. The new, more positive
thoughts and goals will go a long way towards reinforcing your new attitude and making it stick.
They help you to see the benefits of your new way of life and when you start to experience the
benefits, you become determined not to go back to your old ways.

J. Your Attitude Influences Others

You are basically broadcasting your attitude when you interact with other people. You want
those interactions to be positive. This will allow you to bring positive things into your life. A
good example is during a job interview. You likely will not get the job if you approach its
interview with a negative attitude. But go in with a positive attitude and the chances of you
getting that job become better. Your approach towards others can have a huge impact on your
life, so make sure you are using your attitude as your ally when interacting with others.

When you start thinking like a successful person and adopt a positive attitude, it will take some
time to make it routine. In the beginning, you will likely have to work hard to make sure you are
being positive in every aspect of your life. You will have to make an effort to think positive and
to stay positive. It can be difficult, especially if you often give in to negative thoughts and
actions. Developing a positive attitude is about making everything in your life positive. That
means:

▪ Keeping yourself in positive situations;

▪ Associating with positive people; and

▪ Surrounding yourself with positive things.

You have to get rid of negativity. You have to start being positive about everything. You are
paving your road with the positive and this will lead you to positive results.

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How Reading This eBook Will

Help You?
This eBook will help you understand the benefits of thinking like a successful person and the
way which you can follow them.

Successful thinking…it can sound simple, but often, not easy. Our life is made of habits and
even Buddha once said: “We are what we think.” This is why, it’s very important to constantly
choose successful way of thinking and make an optimistic attitude – your habit or second
nature. Let me share with you some advantages of thinking like a successful person:

A. Positive Mind Attracts Positive Events

First of all, if we decide to become positive, we can make the so called “law of attraction” work
for our favor. The main principle of the law of attraction is that “like attracts like”. If you will
make positive thinking your habitual way of seeing life, imagine how many great things you can
attract into your life!

B. Great And Harmonious Relationships

You will start to notice a lot of positive qualities in people and ignore their defaults when you
chose positive attitude. This will enable you to create great relationships and more meaningful
friendships. You can create a very positive and good atmosphere around you with this type of
attitude.

C. Better First Impression

You will always make a great first impression if you make a positive thinking your priority.
People are usually attracted to kind and friendly personalities and a good first impression can
have a big impact on the development of your future relationships.

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D. Vibrant Health
Positive thinking is very beneficial for your health. Several scientific studies have shown that
people with a positive vibe get ill more rarely than the negative thinkers and they are less likely
to suffer from depression. Bad thoughts, in many cases, are the main cause of uneasiness that a
person feels. Just change your thoughts and you will change your life. That’s why, taking care of
our thoughts – is taking care of our health!

E. Key Of Success
Compared to negative people, positive people are more likely to be successful. You will notice
that success becomes easier and it’s not as difficult and tough when you implement positive
thinking into your life.

F. No More Stress
The main cause of stress is negative thoughts and worry. Stress never solves problems, but
rather it can leave us helpless. Positive people overcome stress more easily. Stress will gradually
leave your life, to the point that you won’t even hear about it anymore, when you start to
increase the quantity of good and positive thoughts.

G. Positive Thinking And Optimistic Attitude Will Turn All Your

Problems Into Opportunities
Negativity can blind people’s mind. Your eyes will be opened and you will see the bottle half
full, instead of half empty if you turn your thoughts from the negative ones into positive ones.
You will understand that every problem is actually an opportunity to grow and will start to
notice solutions. All problems can be solved, and you, finally, will be able to see it.

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H. You Will Notice The Abundance Of Good Things In Your Life

People live their life without knowing how blessed they really are. They forget to be thankful
and take things for granted. There are certain laws in life, one of them says: “you will reap what
you sow” and another is: “like attracts like”. When people live their life mourning and
complaining about their destiny, without appreciating the things that they already have, then,
they risk to lose even this. Gratitude and appreciation, on the other hand, can bring more of
good things to be thankful for into their life. So, let’s count our blessings and be thankful.

I. Boost Of Motivation
You will start to achieve your goals easier and quicker because of the boost that positive
attitude brings to your motivation. To have strong motivation is the same as to have “wings”!

J. Beauty Will Shine From Within

Positive thinking will make you look more beautiful. It happens naturally: friendly, smiling, and
happy people are extremely attractive. Your inner beauty will shine and will become visible on
the outside, as well.

This is only a tip of the iceberg of benefits of successful thinking. Actually, thinking like a
successful person being positive and optimistic is the most beneficial skill you can learn in life,
on my opinion. Make successful thinking – your habit and stay happy!

“Thoughts Become Things… Choose The Good Ones!”

Mike Dooley

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How To Overcome Negative

Thinking.
Negative thinking can sometimes have a devastating and strong impact on all aspects of our
lives. With the questions and tips mentioned below, and a little practice, you can break free of
negativity for good. It can feel like a real internal battle. If negative thinking is something that
you are struggling with, I can tell you from personal experience that it is possible to turn things
around and cultivate happiness and inner peace.

14 Questions To Help You Overcome Your Negative Thinking

The following questions are designed to help you identify your negative thinking and pick holes
in that negative thinking. As soon as you find yourself thinking negatively, start asking yourself
these questions. You will find that your negative thinking is both inaccurate and unhelpful.
From there you can start to view things from a more positive perspective.

✓ 1. Is This Fact Or Just My Opinion?

You may often confuse opinion for fact. In reality, there are very few facts in life. Most of your
conclusions are shaped by your beliefs and experience, meaning that they are subjective
opinions rather than facts. When you learn to accept that the conclusions which you have
reached are just your opinion, you realize that there are other possible conclusions which could
be equally true.

✓ 2. Could I Be Wrong?

When you ask this question of yourself, you begin to explore the other possible explanations for
what has happened.

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✓ 3. Why Am I So Certain Of The Conclusion I Have Reached?

This question allows you to determine the reasoning for your conclusion. You can then examine
the accuracy of your reasoning.

✓ 4. What Assumptions Am I Making?

Most of your conclusions will require you to have made some assumptions. Remember that you
do not know what is going on in someone else’s mind. Anywhere that you have attributed
reasoning to somebody else’s actions; you have made an assumption. Anywhere that you do
not have access to all the facts; you are making an assumption. Where you have made
assumptions; there is the possibility that you have made an error.

✓ 5. What Evidence Is There To Support My Thinking?

If you are going to form a conclusion, it is essential that you are able to back that up with some
strong evidence.

✓ 6. What Evidence Is There To Dispute My Thinking?

When you are experiencing negative thinking it is important that you attempt to view things
from an alternative perspective. Just like scientists attempt to disprove their own theories, you
should try to disprove your own theories.

✓ 7. What Is The Worst That Could Happen?

It is easy to get carried away with negative thinking and imagine all manner of things which
could go wrong. To counteract this, it is imperative to take a moment to determine the worst
thing that could realistically happen. Then you must ask yourself what the chances of that worst
outcome occurring really are e.g. many people fear bungee jumping because they fear they
could die. Statistically you are far more likely to die in a car accident, yet few people fear
getting into a car. Perspective is important.

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✓ 8. Could I Cope With The Worst Case Scenario?

Most times the worst case scenario will not be that bad at all. When you realize this, you trust
that you can cope with whatever outcome should arise and this gives you the confidence to
proceed.

✓ 9. How Does This Negative Thinking Really Serve Me?

The answer to this question is often ‘It does not serve me’. Most negative thinking is simply
unrealistic and inaccurate. It serves no real purpose. When negative thinking does serve a
useful purpose, it is usually just to remind you to take the necessary precautions. When you
question the usefulness of your negative thinking you will often find that your negative thinking
immediately begins to disappear.

✓ 10. What Would Someone I Trust Think Of My Conclusion?

This is a great question to help you view things from another perspective. You force yourself to
view the situation through another person’s eyes. When you do this, you tend to look at the
situation more objectively and draw a more realistic conclusion.

✓ 11. Who Says Things Should Be This Way?

I have often had the problem of viewing things as black and white i.e. things should be a certain
way. If they are not that way, there is something wrong. I found that when I asked myself ‘who
says it should be this way?’ I could not find a logical answer. I had merely taken my viewpoint
and turned it into a rule for life. By demanding that things by a particular way, I was setting
myself up for disappointment every time that things were not as I demanded.

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✓ 12. How Else Might I View This Situation?

Again, with this question, you are encouraging yourself to view the situation from different
perspectives and thus breakdown your feeling of certainty which has resulted in your negative
thinking.

✓ 13. Am I Accepting Responsibility For Something Which Is Not My Fault,

Or Within My Control?

You may be beating yourself up over something which you had no control over. If you had no
control, then there is nothing you could have done to change things. Realizing this kills any
justification for your negative thinking.

✓ 14. When I Felt Like This Before, What Did I Think To Change My
Viewpoint?

It is unlikely that you are experiencing a particular form of negative thinking for the first time. If
you have experienced it before, it will help you to recall how you overcame it the last time.
What worked then is likely to work now.

Negative thoughts can occur in even the most positive of people and if they’re not dealt with
can manifest themselves in such a way that can affect your life. In many ways you could say a
negative thought is akin to a snowball rolling down a very steep and very long hill. It may start
off small, but as it gathers momentum it turns into a huge ball of snow and ice that can crush
you. Okay this may be a little dramatic but hopefully you get my drift! On the flip side, a
positive thought, if nurtured correctly can also blossom into a great outcome. So with this in
mind, how do you overcome negative thinking? Here are 10 great tips that can help.

10 Great Tips To Help You Overcome Your Negative Thinking

✓ 1. Meditation

A great way to overcome negative thought processes is through meditation. Meditation turns
our characteristic Beta brainwaves into Alpha brainwaves. Beta brainwaves are our normal
waking everyday state where we experience feelings of stress, anxiety, sadness, anger etc. This

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is where light relaxation techniques begin to melt away feelings of anger, stress, sadness etc. In
addition, use slightly deeper relaxation techniques to start experiencing feelings of inspired
thought and motivation. Meditation is a great way to bring your body and mind back to the
now and here, instead of allowing negative thought processes to focus on what might or might
not happen and the projected future.

✓ 2. Have A Laugh

When it comes to being able to overcome negative thinking, laughter certainly helps and is
considered to be the best cure. Put on your favorite comedy film or TV series and have a laugh,
or think about a funny experience. You’d be surprised at how much it changes your mood and
indeed your positivity levels.

✓ 3. Change Your Thought Processes

When we do have negative thoughts, it’s often easy to accept that thought and not to question
or challenge it. After all, a thought is all that it is at this point right! Instead, try turning that
negative thought on its head. For example if you are thinking that ‘you have a large bill coming
up and you won’t have the funds to be able to pay it’ then instead, why not change the tone of
your thoughts to reflect that ‘although raising the money to make the payment is going to be a
challenge, we will come up with a solution’.

✓ 4. Speak To Positive People

Positivity is indeed infectious. So try surrounding yourself with people who are genuinely
positive when you are stuck in a negative spiral. Talk to someone who can give you constructive
yet caring feedback about your problem. They will be able to put things into perspective for you
as they won’t feel the negativity that you are feeling.

✓ 5. Read Something Positive Every Day

Sometimes it’s very easy to wake up feeling a little negative. For example, imagine it’s a
Monday morning, it’s pouring with rain and you’ve got a particularly busy day at work, in a job

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you don’t especially like. It’s pretty easy to understand how this is going to impact on your
negative feelings. Instead why not start the day with a positive quote. If you like, write it on a
post-it-note and place it on your computer, bedside table, or fridge door. Make it the first thing
that you read when you awake. You’ll be surprised at how much it will inspire you and uplift
you.

✓ 6. Identify And Write Down Each Negative Thought

Start by identifying your negative thoughts and make sure you write them down. Take your top
three negative thoughts and write them down. Then run them through all the steps below
before moving on to other dominant negative thoughts you may have.

Writing down your thought processes has magic in it. You automatically become more powerful
than that thought once a thought is written down. It’s like there is an unseen life-force, from
your mind to the paper, that sucks power out of the negative thought you are writing down,
leaving you stronger, better and powerful.

✓ 7. Change The Negative Thoughts To Positive

This is called the law of displacement. You displace cruel, dark, stressful, anxious and dis-
empowering thoughts with thoughts of calm, positivity, strength, peace and hope. Just like you
get rid of darkness in your room by turning the light on, you do the same when you write down
the exact opposites of the negative thoughts.

Recent studies suggest that early suppression of negative thoughts can keep millions of people
from developing full-blown depression. Changing those negative thoughts into positive
affirmations is the best way to do this is by. For example, let’s say you can’t seem to get the
thought that you will lose your job and become destitute off your mind. All you need to do is to
write down the opposite of that, for example, “I am always in work and at every single time,
more opportunities open for me than I really need.” What you are doing here is taking control
of your mind. And if you say this with confidence and positive expectations, you will never run
out of great opportunities that will keep you in work as long as you want. If one door closes,
another one will open for you.

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✓ 8. Get The New Positive Thought Registered In Your Subconscious Mind

Your goal here is to make sure that your deeper mind accepts this new empowering thought.
How do you do that? You achieve this through REPETITION. Repetition is a valuable code of the
subconscious. Whatever your mind keeps hearing, it will eventually accept as truth. So what
you want to do is to start repeating your new positive thoughts to yourself. Do it constantly. Do
it repeatedly. Do it daily. Do it with passion, conviction and belief.

One effective way of doing this is to imagine that you are holding a volume control knob of a
radio or CD player. Then you imagine turning up your new positive thoughts starting from the
zero volume to the maximum volume. Make sure you let your voice also reflect the changing in
the volume levels – start to say your new positive affirmation quietly as though the volume
control is at the lowest level. Then get louder gradually, until you are literally shouting this
positive affirmation into your own mind. Try it. It is powerful.

✓ 9. Visualize Your Positive Thought In Its Completed State

See yourself already in possession of the positive affirmation you have been saying. For
example, if your positive affirmation is this: “I am very confident, decisive and bold,” then start
to see yourself in your imagination as being very confident, decisive and bold. Imagine those life
situations that you will be finding yourself soon and visualize yourself in total control, secure,
relaxed, decisive and extremely bold. Also in your imagination, see how people around you are
admiring your self-confidence and a strong sense of purpose, self-reliance and personal power.
I have personally found this exercise very helpful whenever I am about to do something that
seems scary, new or challenging. It is very effective.

✓ 10. Be Persistent

Being persistent is necessary for people whose negative thought activities have become
habitual. Make sure you persist in writing down your negative thoughts and changing them to
positive, and visualizing them in their positive completed states. Your brain requires time to
destroy the old and already existing habit wiring and then build new ones for your new
empowering positive affirmations. Therefore, do not quit simply because your automatic
negative thoughts seem to be increasing. Keep practicing the steps above and slowly but
gradually those negative thoughts will start slowing down as your brain rewires itself for
creativity, positivity, confidence and calm.

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In essence being able to overcome negative thinking is all about realizing that everyone has
negative thoughts. Instead it’s how you deal with them and how you allow those thoughts to
manifest themselves that really makes the difference. Negative thinking is the enemy of
confidence. Negative thinking can quickly take over your life and erode your confidence and
self-belief.

When you are overcome by negative thinking, you hold yourself back from pursuing your
objectives. You do not think that you can successfully achieve your goals so rather than risk
failure, you refuse to even try. You may try to pretend that these thoughts are not yours but
that is just a way to avoid taking responsibility. These thoughts are yours. As soon as you accept
this, you can start to identify and challenge your negative thinking.

When you continue to challenge your negative thinking you rapidly improve your confidence
and open up a path to successfully accomplish your goals. Next time you find yourself thinking
negatively, ask yourself the questions above and you will soon start to make positive progress.

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25 Things Incredibly Successful

People Do.
1. They First Change How They Think & Feel
Talk to anybody who built success in their life and they’ll tell you that they changed their
thinking in order to get different results. Every one of us is a product of our thinking. Our
finances, relationships, health, happiness, and every other area are dictated by our thinking.
You need to change your thinking first if you want a different result in life.

Very often people get hung up on “thinking like successful people” and forget a key element:
what they’re feeling. Listening to your emotions is critical to understanding what is holding you
back, both consciously and unconsciously. Successful people know that our emotions drive
everything. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, afraid, stressed, sad, depressed, or any other
negative emotion, your brain is less resourceful and less able to help you make good decisions
or take important actions. If you want to have more energy, make better decisions, be more
creative, and have more success in life… develop the habit of paying attention to your
emotions. Then do what’s needed to be in the right emotional state.

2. They Believe They Deserve Success

Successful people believe they deserve success; unsuccessful people do not. The area where
this is most evident is with money. Financially successful people generally feel they deserve to
be successful, and so they’ve created it in their lives. Only one thing qualifies somebody as
“deserving success” or not… the rules they create for it in their own brain.

Oftentimes, people think (consciously or unconsciously) they don’t deserve success because of
false beliefs like, “I’m not smart enough,” or “I don’t work hard enough,” or “I’m not a good
enough person,” or any other negative limiting beliefs. In order to find out what you believe
about success just SAY and COMPLETE these two phrases out loud:

▪ I don’t deserve success because… (Say what first comes up, don’t question it)

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▪ I deserve success because… (Say what first comes up, don’t question it)

Saying these two phrases out loud, will make your unconscious brain give you the reasons that
have been programmed as to why you should believe one way or the other. If you’re not
getting the answer you’d like (or you’re surprised by what’s coming up), don’t worry…
remember, at the end of the day every person – and I mean EVERY person – deserves success.
Every person is capable of love, of growth, of giving beyond themselves and being rewarded for
it! Anyone can succeed with their health, in relationships, financially, or in any area of their life.

3. They Overcome Past Events & Patterns

Most of the patterns, habits, and beliefs that we have today were developed between the ages
of 0 and 6 years old. The patterns, habits, and beliefs weren’t developed consciously. They were
transferred to us from people & events happening around us at the time. We didn’t have a
choice as to what events were happening around us, or what beliefs were given to us. Many of
those beliefs, patterns, and experiences were unfortunately negative and have limited us in our
adult life.

Some have had tougher upbringings than others, with more negative experiences and more
negative beliefs about themselves and the world, but regardless of the experiences… There is
good news! Today, as adults, we have a choice over what beliefs, patterns, and habits we want
to keep or discard… And we have a choice over the meanings we give our past experiences.

Successful people are aware of how limiting old habits, beliefs, experiences, and patterns can
be… and they do whatever it takes to change them! That doesn’t mean it’s always easy.
Overcoming deep-rooted self-confidence issues, or childhood abuse issues, or overpoweringly
negative thought patterns can be a challenge. But successful people are committed to their
own growth, no matter what. They are aware of the fact that the past is not equal of the future.
They understand that past challenges can either be accepted as necessary life lessons on their
path, or be dwelled upon for years.

4. They Silence Their Critical Voice

A common misconception is that successful people don’t have a critical voice, they don’t have
doubts, and they’re not afraid when they face tough challenges. Reality couldn’t be further
from the truth. Probably more often than unsuccessful people, successful people face all of
these challenges regularly.

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They just use tremendous courage to never let it stop them. Courage is a muscle that can be
developed and flexed over time. Before they moved onto bigger things, every successful person
had to overcome their critical voice over little things. Developing and building this muscle starts
with address your critical voice with courage, on anything little or big. Listen to what it has to
say… and then overcome it!

5. They’re Willing To Fail, Repeatedly

Seeing failing as a part of the learning process is something that successful people do. They’re
never willing to quit, no matter how much they fail. They never allow failure to define who they
are. When unsuccessful people fail, they see themselves as a failure. Learn to see failure itself
as a learning process and to never see yourself as a failure. Then, you’ll never do the one thing
you’re avoiding… failing.

“How’s that?” you’re thinking. Because failing implies that the journey is over. You, in fact,
never actually fail if you see individual failures as a part of a longer journey of success. Here’s a
list of some of the most successful people ever throughout modern history who never let
individual failures stop them:

▪ Henry Ford – Failed in his early business projects and was left broke 5 times before he
founded Ford Motor Company.

▪ R. H. Macy –Before finally hitting it big with his store in New York City, Macy started 7
failed businesses.

▪ Walt Disney – Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked
imagination and had no good ideas.” After that, he started a number of businesses that
didn’t last long and ended with bankruptcy and failure.

▪ Albert Einstein – Einstein didn’t speak until he was four and didn’t read until he was
seven, which made his teachers and parents think he was mentally handicapped, slow,
and anti-social.

▪ Jerry Seinfeld – On his first stage appearance, Jerry Seinfeld froze and was booed off
stage. Do you think he quit after that? Nope. The very next night he came back and
completed his set to laughter and applause.

I could go on and on with people like this but I think you get it. If you see failure as part of a
longer journey of success, then it never actually exists.

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6. They Do Important Things First

Pretty much every person I come across or talk to on a daily basis feels that they’re too busy, or
that they have too much going on. It seems to just be a part of this modern lifestyle. When it
comes to what we do with our time, successful people have one tremendously important trait
that makes them successful… They do the important things first, not the easy things.

Waiting until you have more time to do the important things, will eventually make you run out
of time and it will never get done. It’s why people don’t exercise, or start that business, or write
that book… Successful people prioritize their life differently. To get where they want to be,
successful know the significance of the important stuff. They leave the emails to later in the day
and do the big tasks on projects at the beginning of the day. Learn how to do the tasks that
matter first if you want to be more successful.

7. They Get Clear & Then Take Daily Action

There is tremendous power in clarity and this is what successful people know. They get clear on
who they want to be in life and what they want to achieve, and they take consistent daily action
to get there. They do not allow their current limitations to stop them from seeing a better
future for themselves. Unsuccessful people never allow themselves to have seemingly
unrealistic futures and get hung up on their current challenges and current situation.

Even if there isn’t a clear path to achieving what they want, successful people allow themselves
to dream and then work to get there. They also see themselves not just as they are now, but
better than they are now! They have a vision in their mind of how they can grow into being
happier, successful, and more giving people.

8. Focusing On What Matters

There are only 24 hours in a day, but of those hours, where are you spending your time?
Successful people know what has to happen day in and day out. It’s getting the necessary work
done before watching viral YouTube videos.

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9. They Don’t Have Endless To-Do Lists

To-Do Lists exist but they include only the top projects that need worked on today. Usually
completing three key items a day will mean that the day has been productive. If you complete
those, then you can continue on to the other projects. Looking at an infinite To-Do list is not
how people think. Make the tasks at hand manageable and they will get completed.

10. Bouncing Off Ideas With Other People

Have a great idea that you want to launch? Well, do not keep it a secret. Start sharing that idea
with others in your industry, friends, strangers, people at the coffee shop. See what their
feedback to the idea is. Maybe they will point out something that you have never thought of
before and help make your idea soar.

11. They Use The 80/20 Rule

The Pareto Principle is that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Identify that
20% and focus on it.

12. Learning To Quiet The Mind

Meditation is key with successful people. It’s taking time out whether it be 5 minutes or 30
minutes to clear your mind and set the day off on the right foot. We are inundated with
information and your mind must have a way to cut through all of the noise.

13. Having An Optimistic Outlook

Stop thinking of all the ways that your project or idea will not work and believe in the one that
will work. When you think positively, the project will have a better possibility of being
successful. Negative thoughts just destroy your mind and everything that you work on.

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14. They’re Not Afraid To Be Unconventional

Popular thinking does not always lead to the expected result. It takes being unconventional and
risks to get the result that you want. If the conventional thought does not lead to your intended
result, maybe it is time to start doing things differently.

15. They Follow Through

Successful people always follow through. If you say that you are going to do something, do it.
The other person or organization will recognize this, and you will rise above the crowd.

16. They Collaborate With Others

Have a great project that you want to launch? Perhaps partnering with someone to make it
even better and have a greater reach will make a world of difference. Many successful people
realize that their project can use an added creative spark from others. Maybe you are a
photographer who ends up partnering with a graffiti artist and a writer to create an amazing
project.

17. They Know They Can Do It

If you think you can, then it is possible. It all starts with believing in yourself. If you want to be a
NY Times Best Selling Author, you first have to believe that you are a writer. Believing is key to
your success.

18. They Develop Their Thoughts

That great idea may not happen overnight. It takes willingness and time to let it develop. It’s
not a one day project that leads to that successful launch, but it takes patience in making sure
that the idea is fully developed and that you have put in 150% effort to make it your best.

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19. They’re Not Afraid To Be Different

Doing the same things as the top person will not get you where you want to be. As Chase Jarvis
says, “Be different not better.” Don’t be an exact replica of someone. Be yourself and be
unique.

20. They Stand For What They Believe

Successful people are willing to make a stand for what they believe in. You’re not always going
to have an army of people supporting you, but it takes a willingness to stand up for your ideas
and beliefs no matter what the situation.

21. They Go All In

No, we are not playing a game of poker here but instead, the game of life. You must be willing
to risk it all at times to do what you believe in. Will it work every time? No. However, you must
be willing to learn from what happened. You never know if it will work or not unless you try it.

22. They Learn From Their Failures

Whether something worked or not, you must analyze the situation afterwards. What went
well? What did not? What can be improved? Successful people always step back from projects
after it is said and done, look at the results and learn from their failures so it does not happen
again.

23. They Sacrifice For Their Dreams

Are you willing to work harder, wake up early and stay later? Are you ready to sacrifice your
relaxation time and instead use the time to work on your dreams? Success can’t be achieved
without any hard work. Most people are not successful because of their unwillingness to trade
their leisure for the hard work.

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What about you? Are you willing to sacrifice your sleep time? Are you willing to throw away
your TV time or ditch your social media time? Even though success may not come easy, the
rewards alone are worth your time and sacrifice.

There’s no free lunch in this world. If you want something, you have got to be willing to go for
it. Go all out. We all have 24 hours a day, and there is only so much we can do. It is near to
impossible to achieve work-life balance. When you spend time building your career, business or
yourself, you will automatically neglect other areas of your life. That’s just the way how it
operates. You can leverage on systems to be more effective, but somehow, you will still need to
let go something that is less important to you.

24. They Network With Other Successful People

If you are a professional golfer, would you train with a rookie who does not know how to play
golf at all? Of course, you won’t. You will die of boredom because the course will be too easy
for you. But when you play with other professional players, things will be different.

Suddenly, the match becomes more interesting and it is very competitive. You feel the fun and
you give it your best. The same goes in life. If you want to be great, you have to mix with other
great people to become great. When you network and talk with other great people, their
thinking influences you.

If you want to know how well you did in life, just look at the people you mix around with most
of the time. Here are some successful people who used to networking together

▪ Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison were best friends. They went for vacation together and
when Steve was fired from Apple and wanted a comeback, Larry Ellison said that he
wanted to buy Apple for Jobs.

▪ Henry Ford and Thomas Edison first met in 1896. They became good friends ever since.
They travelled together, exchanged birthday wishes, and even bought neighboring
vacation homes together.

So who are your best friends and who do you mix around with most of the time? Always choose
to mix with people who are doing better than you and are more successful. You want to learn
their beliefs, their mindset, and their attitudes and then apply them in your life to create
outstanding success.

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25. They See Chain Reactions

All it takes to knock over the rest of the dominos, is one domino. Successful people join the dots
between actions and the outcomes. To take the company to the next level, a former CEO of
giant company didn’t focus on marketing and advertising, or development and research. He
focused on safety. This allowed him to reduce days lost to workplace injury by a staggering 90
percent. Within a year the company’s profits hit a record high. When the CEO retired, profits
were five times higher.

Workplace safety and profit margins may seem unrelated on the surface but successful people
have the ability to see the relationship between the ‘unrelated.’ Our thinking is often
compartmentalized. That keeps things logical, linear, and neat but builds walls we cannot see
through. Successful people always look for connections and relationships. Their thinking is not
just linear, but holistic. They don’t just study parts, but see the whole. They’ve learned to put
Humpty-Dumpty together again.

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