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	Winning The Thought Battle

	by Chris Widener

If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always come down to action. We need to act if we are going to be successful! Yet, our success starts long before our actions. THOUGHTS become ACTIONS and actions produce RESULTS. So the key to success is to start with and control the thoughts that we have. Good thoughts become good actions, which become good results.

THE WAR WE WAGE

Unfortunately, we face a predicament as humans -- a constant BATTLE with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, fear, and other negative emotions constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in ways that produce the OPPOSITE effect from the success we desire. So what can we do to win the battle with thoughts? Here are a few suggestions:

GUARD YOUR MIND

Behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing -- your mind. If you had a storehouse of gold in your home, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old thought that comes along into our minds. We need to keep the bad thoughts -- the negative thoughts -- OUT! Make a CONSCIOUS effort to keep those damaging thoughts from entering your head. And when you do recognize a negative thought floating around in your mind, take a minute to push it out.

PROACTIVELY PLACE GOOD THOUGHTS IN YOUR HEAD

Our minds are just like a garden – if you want a good crop you have to weed or pull the bad stuff out, and plant the good stuff. Buy tapes and music that will produce good, happy thoughts in your head! Watch television programs and videos that INSPIRE you. Read books and poetry and quotes that fill you with POSITIVE feelings. What you plant will take root and eventually leave no room for the negative.

AVOID THE NAYSAYERS

They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them -- some are even in your family! These are the people who pour cold water all over your dreams -- who tell you that you will FAIL and there is no reason to bother trying. Their intentions may be noble. They may be trying to PROTECT you or keep you from getting hurt. But in the end, they do nothing more than fill your head with negativity. Try to avoid these people if you can. If you can not, let them know how their negativity affects you and ask that they keep their opinions to themselves.

ACT ON THE POSITIVE THOUGHTS THAT YOU DO HAVE

When a positive thought comes into your head, act on it! If you feel like singing or dancing or skipping, don’t hold back. This will begin to produce a BRIDGE between what you think and how you act! This will then make that transition even easier as time goes by. Now go forth and Win the Battle!

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success and Extraordinary Leaders, two companies helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Visit his websites at www.madeforsuccess.com and www.extraordinaryleaders.com.

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