"If you think you can or you think you can't - you're right!" Henry Ford
Principle 5 in The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer is "believe in yourself". In that chapter Canfield refers to the negative power of the phrase "I can't"
Remember the story of the little engine that could? The little engine had to get a huge load up a huge hill. It seemed impossible but he kept trying and as he tried he said, "I think I can. I think I can?", until finally he made it.
I often feel like that little engine with one unfortunate difference. I hear another voice trying to cancel out my "I think I can" refrain. It is the insidious little voice of the conductor whispering, "No you can't. No you can't". And her voice sounds an awful lot like mine.
When I decided to quit the rat race and make my living without a job, I expected opposition. I expected negative voice to be coming from my family and my well meaning friends. But they all surprised me with their encouragement and support. I think that part of the reason is because many people secretly share my dream of making a living without a job. If I succeed then maybe someday they will too. They also love me and believe in me.
No that voice that says, "You can't make it," comes from inside me. I have to work every day to drown out that whisper. I have to keep my goals front and center and tell myself over and over that "I can!"
I carry a stack of 3" X 5" cards in my purse with my goals written on them stated as if they had already occurred. An example would be: "I am so excited that my book, Stress and the Single Mom has become an instant best seller and that Jay Leno has invited me to be his guest on the Tonight Show. (Feb 19, 2006). I say these affirmations each morning and each night. And whenever I find myself having to wait in line, I whip out my little cards and go over them again.
I know I will make my dreams come true. I am already living them out in so many ways but still I must work being positive every day. It is not as if I can conquer one success principle and then move on to the next. It is an on-going daily commitment. And it is worth the effort.
Every day my "I can" voice gets clearer and louder. And every day, that negative little whispering voice is gets fainter and weaker.
I don't know if I will ever totally silence that insidious conductor but he has definitely been demoted. I am the conductor now.
** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners ** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed above.
(c) Jeanne Russell - All Rights reserved
-- Jeanne Russell is a mother writer and entrepreneur, She is founder of http://www.jeannerussell.com ( a website devoted to self-improvement and success) and also http://www.jeannerussell.com
move in cleaning service Mundelein ..Unless you have been living in a cave, you have... Read More
Of course by now we are all becoming aware of... Read More
Here are the 3 elements of the "Purpose" leg in... Read More
Conditions differ from circumstances. Circumstances are changeable conditions which merely... Read More
We must never allow a day to pass without finding... Read More
Do you know how much time do you spend listening?... Read More
The HungryIn May of 2005 there were over 2 million... Read More
The problem with writing about success is that almost everything... Read More
Hello,You are reading this article because you are one of... Read More
Something's missing! As a Hispanic in this great country, I... Read More
Most self-help truths are obvious but obvious truths are often... Read More
The best and fastest way to learn how to make... Read More
After 13 years of being married to the same woman... Read More
When I decided to have my web site built, I... Read More
If you've been walking this earth for any length of... Read More
Formula For SuccessThe winners in this life know the rules... Read More
Finding balance is deciding to notice what goes on in... Read More
Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone have recently hosted a... Read More
Your own pressing needs, your long-standing frustrations, would benefit tremendously... Read More
Smile brings beauty to your face, charm to your personality... Read More
"If you can tell the world who you are and... Read More
No one wants to fail. But when in business you... Read More
If failure is the roadway, then Perseverance is the vehicle... Read More
One of the most common refrains I hear from people... Read More
(Excepted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the... Read More
insured cleaning company Highland Park ..I do! I want to be a millionaire! Do you?Judging... Read More
All too often, we push ourselves past the limits of... Read More
On March 27th 2005, Oxford won the annual boat race... Read More
We live in the information age, dominated by the development... Read More
I was at a dinner party the other night when... Read More
You already have all the resources you need to accomplish... Read More
When traveling down the road it is always good to... Read More
People have a tremendous capacity for outstanding achievement. There are... Read More
Every single one of us is trying to reach success.... Read More
We're all adults, and most of us probably like to... Read More
Following are a series of questions I needed to ask... Read More
We all want success in life. We want success in... Read More
Think back to a time in your life when you... Read More
We set goals, strive for them and only consider ourselves... Read More
I recently was made aware of two comparative statistics that... Read More
Understand and apply this one secret to your own life,... Read More
Most dictionary entries would define failure as the simple lack... Read More
For centuries Protestant Christians have argued that you can reach... Read More
Much has been researched, written and taught about success. One... Read More
Mary and Susan were friends for years. They grew up... Read More
There is a disquieting trend emerging among women particularly -... Read More
What Makes the Difference?On a warm spring afternoon, fifteen years... Read More
Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in... Read More
With three kids, a business, a husband with a business,... Read More
Sometimes short cuts are not worth taking. They may bring... Read More
| Success |