Tosh McGee | Contributing Writer
Photo Credit: Unsplash User Prateek Katyal
Usually, Saturday morning barbershop talks are filled with sports, neighborhood gossip or musical debates.However, one Saturday at the shop, I had a very meaningful conversation about what it takes to be successful. So, what does it take? It’s actually very simple. The true start of a successful path begins with your mindset.
The mind is a garden. The seeds (thoughts) that are planted are so essential to how your garden (mind) will grow. Manifesting positive thoughts promotes positive behavior, ultimately motivating you to pursue a prosperous lifestyle. Aside from a positive mindset, there are a few other crucial tools for achieving success.
1. Applied Faith
Tell the world what you want to do and speak the things you want into existence. Oftentimes we ask for things and neglect the actual effort and work it takes to achieve those things. Speaking your goals into existence is much more than just saying “I will do that” or “I will be this.” It is a process that involves hard work and ultimate faith in the things you are asking for.
2. Autosuggestion
Autosuggestion is a psychological technique known as the subconscious adoption of an idea that you speak into existence through repetition of verbal statements. In other words, this means telling yourself something over and over until you have come to accept it as your full belief. This can be practiced in various ways; a common one is daily affirmations. However, the mere reading of a saying or a goal from a piece of paper is not enough. These daily affirmations should be internalized and said with absolute faith.
3. Meditation and Prayer
When facing challenges in life, we all need a way to release our stress and worries. However, sometimes the methods of comfort we use may be destructive to the development of a positive mindset. Prayer can help you gain guidance and stay steadfast in your pursuit of success. Contrary to popular belief, meditation isn’t just about physically sitting still. It’s mental as well. Meditation puts your mind at ease, giving you the clarity that you need when making important decisions.
Meditation has been extremely beneficial for Hampton University senior Kayla Snowden. “My freshman year is when I really got into meditation and affirmative practices after facing depression,” Snowden said. “It is a way to lift myself up when I’m feeling down.”
4. Organized Planning
Having a definite plan of how you will obtain whatever you may desire in life is essential to succeeding. Your definite plan should include what you intend to receive and more importantly, a course of action for reaching your desire. Writing out your goals and how you plan to go about attaining them is the very first step of turning your thoughts into tangible targets. Once you have written out your action plan, you should place it somewhere you will see it when you rise in the morning and when you go to sleep at night.
5. Going the Extra Mile
Start making the habit of going the extra mile in everything that you do. Gradually, you’ll find yourself doing more than what’s expected without even trying to do so. In the words of author Napoleon Hill, “The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does.” While developing a positive mindset and eliminating fear from our lives is no easy feat, it can be achieved through a combination of faith, confidence and persistence. As Hill states in The Law of Success, “If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure that you will control nothing else.”
Start living your best life by taking control of your mind and using the power of thought to your personal advantage. Clear your mind of doubts, and direct that energy toward attaining success!
The Hampton Script 