A few years ago, I wrote an article entitled, “The Power of Thinking ‘I Am‘” that focused on thinking about your goals in present tense rather than future tense. For example, if your goal is to be a published author someday, you would think to yourself, “I am a published author,” rather than, “I will be a published author.” While this shift in thinking may appear to be subtle, it is actually very powerful because what you think tends to be your reality. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “You are what you think all day long.” Many people tend to worry about how to achieve the goal; however, my advice is to not worry about how you will achieve it at this stage. Let the universe take care of the “how” for the moment.
Now that the year 2018 is almost upon us, let’s take this opportunity to put the “Power of Thinking ‘I Am” into practice as we count down to January 1, 2018. Are you up to the task? I am positive that you are. I know this to be true because most of us think in “I Am” terms already. Unfortunately, we think in negative “I Am” terms rather than positive ones. For example, do you ever find yourself thinking, “I am never going to get that promotion,” or something similar? What about, “I am always the last person to get picked for the really good projects at work.” Have you noticed that the majority of the time you are correct? You see, these are negative thoughts and since you are thinking them all the time, they tend to come to fruition. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” If you believe Henry Ford’s statement to be true, then why not think positive more often than not?
Therefore, for the next five days, please join me in a very simple exercise of putting the “Power of Thinking ‘I Am'” to work. The exercise is as follows:
- Decide on an “I Am” statement and write it down. (You may record it electronically on your computer, laptop, or mobile device if you prefer. It is really important for your “I Am” statement to be realistic for this particular exercise since we are only doing this for five days. For example, your “I Am” statement might be, “I am much happier at work,” or “I am 5 pounds thinner this month than I was last month.”)
- Each day for the next five days, recite your “I Am” statement to yourself silently for five minutes when you wake up; at midday, and before you go to bed. (Do this on December 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st. You do not have to share your “I Am” statement with anyone. For now, let your “I Am” statement be between you and the universe.)
Do not worry about how you will achieve your “I Am” statement, just focus on thinking (and believing) that you have already achieved that which you seek. Starting January 1, 2018, go about your day, week, and month as you would normally. At the end of January (i.e., no later than January 31, 2018), send me a note or add a comment and let me know the outcome of the exercise for you.
Happy “I Am’ing” and I look forward to hearing from you in about a month. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions along the way.
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Dr. Milton Mattox is an Executive Coach, CEO Peer Group Facilitator, Motivational Speaker, Author, and Technologist who has worked with some of the world’s most acclaimed companies. An authority in helping CEOs overcome everyday business challenges to achieve the success that they seek, career coach and expert in “all things technology-based,” he continues to practice the leadership techniques and methodologies outlined in his books and articles to successfully increase return on investment for companies, organizations, and individuals seeking to be all that they desire to be in life.
