Throw every shred of negative thought into the consuming fires…
Though dramatic in its wording, this comment by Dale Carnegie rings through my mind today: "Throw every shred of negative thought into the consuming fires and slam doors of steel upon every escape into the irresolute past."
Carnegie made this comment in one of his books while summing up a story about how Julius Caesar sailed with his army to conquer what we now know as England and then burned his own transport ships in the channel. On seeing that, Caesar's troops were fully committed to the task ahead because they were unable to retreat.
Again, this is dramatic image, but I always feel a renewed sense of commitment in November – when the old year is about to be declared "the irresolute past" and the new one looms on the horizon. It's exciting to contemplate what I get to create next.
For me, 2010 already holds great promise. I see interesting projects ahead, and I don't need a crystal ball or a soothsayer to tell me this. What I foresee is of my own wishing… and making. However, in order to allow the successful birth of these projects… I must throw every shred of negative thought into the consuming fires. I must have unwaivering commitment and conquer any doubts.
C'mon 2010, let's get going!
What’s the best way to conquer those negative thoughts, Angela? I sure would like to set them aflame, but don’t always know how …
The best way to conquer negative thoughts, in my book, Michael, is to 1st ask why they’re occuring in the first place, then see if there’s any validity to them and, finally, find a way to spin them into the opposite direction if you think they’re actually holding you back rather than serving you. We all have a dark side, and there’s a good reason for that. We don’t want to ignore our negative thoughts entirely because they are sometimes the very thoughts that keep us safe. They keep us from touching the hot stove (no, don’t touch that!). If they are not actually serving us by helping us to avoid making impulsively dangerous decisions, they might be holding us back from diving into a delicious new project that will propel our lives forward instead. In that case, it’s time to do the spin. So, ask yourself what would be the opposite of the negative thought you just had? Ask yourself that and then ask yourself how you can make the very opposite of your negative thought happen. When you are having thoughts like “I would do this, but…” or “I would do this if only…” then change it to “I would do this AND this is how I would…”