Your thoughts are the genesis of any actions. Whatever you do, any action you take, is spurned by a single thought. These thoughts—simple, sometimes complex—are what lead to the actions that define your life. Even the inactions—those things you don’t do—started somewhere in your mind. They compile, one on top of the other, making up the blueprints of what is to become your life.
Thoughts create actions.
Actions get results.
The Buddha once said “The thought manifests as the word; the word manifests as the deed; the deed develops into habit; habit hardens into character. So, watch the thought and its ways with care.” Thought dictates everything.
The lesson here? Take care of your thoughts. Give them attention. Give them time. Examine, define, and evaluate them. Classify them. Are they negative? Are they rooted in the past? Are you consumed with thoughts and ideas that don’t serve you? Are there things that you need to let go?
Can you change your thoughts?
Well, not exactly… Thoughts are automatic. There’s no lag time between generating a thought and its arrival into your mind. These thoughts are based on our past experiences, but what you can do is to train your reaction to them. Instead of an automatic response that spirals into old, familiar habits, examine the thought. Wonder where it came from. Turn it over and look at it. And if it isn’t the truth, dismiss it. Train your mind to react differently. This will lead to new thinking and new habits. It takes time. It takes enormous patience. But it also takes something that is so often difficult to give to oneself: kindness. Forgiveness. Treat yourself like a beloved friend. Forgive your mistakes.
When you do, you will open yourself up to the positivity that will lead to thoughtful action. That action is what will change your life. Just changing your mind to more positive thoughts can have an immediate and profound impact on who you are, what you do and how people respond to you.
And you can start right now. You know how? Just smile. A simple smile. Even if you have to force it. Even if you feel silly. It will change your mood. It might start out insincere and forced, but if you hold it long enough, it will transform your insides to match the happy figure on the outside. That smile will be true. It’s the ultimate “fake it ’til you make it.”
And that happy mood? It will inspire happy, lighter, kinder thoughts. That will lead to actions. To habits. To the rest of your life.
Darryl Davis, bestselling author of “How to Become a Power Agent in Real Estate” and owner of Darryl Davis Seminars, has trained and coached over 100,000 real estate professionals around the globe for more than 27 years. He is the founder of the Next Level® real estate training system, The Power Program®, which has helped agents double their production over their previous year. For more information, and the new agent tools that can help take you to your Next Level®, please contact darryl@darrylspeaks.com or visit www.ThePowerProgram.com/NewAgentSuccess
