INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
Ed Sheeran rose to unprecedented musical stardom, elevating from street busker playing to make meal money, to setting touring records. What’s the secret to his success? As Sheeran revealed in his documentary “The Sum of It All,” he strongly believes in speaking your goals into existence. So do I. And science backs us both up.
It’s known as the Sapir-Wharf hypothesis: the words you choose to speak out loud actually influence the way you think and view the world, and can impact what you achieve, or not. It works in two directions. Say an unfortunate event happens. You could say out loud, this is a disaster. Or you could say, this is a challenge. Choosing harsher words impacts the way you actually think about that event moving forward. In fact, research shows it’s 10 times more damaging to your spirit of positivity if you verbalize a negative thought versus just thinking it.
On the other side of the coin, just speaking a goal, with self-belief, can help you achieve it. A lot of people ask me, “How do I become an author?” I tell them, “You’re an author when you say are.” I’m not saying if you want to be a billionaire, just say the words and it will be so. The point is this: Who’s going to be there to refute that goal when you say it out loud? No one. Except you (the only audience that matters). Speaking it takes conviction. Which further fuels belief. Which spurs action. Which further fuels belief. Which leads to greater success.
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
A 102-year old doctor recently wrote on CNBC of the biggest mistake you can make in terms of compromising your health and happiness. It’s failing to let go of things that drain your energy. I wrote of the power of letting go recently as well, and am adding to it here with a simple exercise for you – the Energy Audit. From time to time, stop and evaluate the things, experiences, and people in your life. Put them in one of three columns: Energy Adds, Energy Neutral, or Energy Drains. If the Energy Neutral items are necessary for daily living or achieving a goal, keep them. If they’re Energy Adds, do more of that. Energy Drains – delete. By getting rid of what no longer serves you/your energy, you serve yourself.
I conduct these audits regularly and can tell you first hand, they really do help fuel health and happiness.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
Anthropologist Ashley Montagu once said, “The goal of life is to die young – as late as possible.”
Want to age well? No matter what age you are, ask yourself, “How can I act younger than my years, in a beneficial way?” For example, might you:
– exercise or stretch more for more youthful energy and flexibility
– set aside skepticism and bitterness to experience something with unabated, youthful optimism
– take on a new challenge to reignite the desire to learn and grow
– set aside fear of failure, taking on that challenge with youthful confidence
– fueling a youthful curiosity by trying or learning something completely new
The idea is, age better by infusing a little younger you.
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