Dream Job — A Gazillion Self-Help Books Boil Down to Six Words
Written by Michael on February 21, 2007 – 2:57 am -I read.
A lot.
And, over the years, I’ve dabbled in self-help and success books. I go through spurts, and honestly, sometimes I get pretty fed up with all the rah-rah stuff. But, I also admit that I have to attribute much of what I’ve learned to all the great rah-rahers out there — Nightingale, Mandino, Canfield, Robbins, and countless others (Gitomer’s a new one on my radar). There’s no substitute for on-the-life training and actually being out there doing and living your work, your life, and your dream job; but, great books are a tremendous supplement to that.
As I was thinking about all of these writers and cheerleaders last night, it occurred to me that they all take up a common theme, despite their side stories and experiences.
What all of the success literature of all time boils down to is what Earl Nightingale says in his class book, Earl Nightingale’s Greatest Discovery, and it’s this:
You become what you think about.
That’s it.
That’s the secret to success, and to getting your dream job.
Now, you’d have to read the whole book to get to the meaning behind those words (nope, you can’t just sit around and day dream about your dream job — ya gotta actually do something at some point), but that’s the essence of success.
Say your dream job is to become a charter boat captain somewhere in Florida. You start by reading everything you can about boating. Then, you boat wherever you are. You talk to other boaters, and you meet a captain or two. You take a vacation to Florida and spend as much time as you can on charter boats. Maybe you hire on for a week or two to be a mate. You read some more. And, you think about your dream job. All that thinking turns to doing turns to being what you’re thinking about.
I’m tellin’ ya right here and now, Earl Nightingale is right — you become what you think about.
Check out his classic of a book, Earl Nightingale’s Greatest Discovery and let me know what you think. It has been around for ages, and it gets smarter with each passing year.
Nightingale and this book are both Top 5ers.
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February 21st, 2007 at 11:22 pm
Those six words do say it all.
The problem most of us have is getting caught up in thinking the worst.
It takes practice and persistence to become aware of your negative thought patterns and switch them up to positve, self-supporting thoughts.
I feel one of the most successful techniques used in psychology is “cognitive therapy” which is simply teaching people how to become aware of their thoughts.
Only through awareness are you then able to manifest change.
Enjoyed your post and appreciate the simplicity.
Regards,
Gene
February 24th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Thanks for your comments, Gene.
There’s a rule of thumb (not sure where it comes from) that says it takes 21 days of continuous reinforcement for a true change (a positive habit) to set in.
When it comes to changing your attitude, I think it’s probably a lot longer. One of the new rah-rahers on my list is Jeffrey Gitomer, and he says it’ll take a year to get the ‘right’ attitude, and that’s only after daily affirmations and hard postive-thinking work.
Adios,
Michael
March 12th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Hello Michael,
The 21 days to effectively produce positve change has actually now been scientifically proven. (Actually it is 21 to 30 days depending on the individual)
Scientific research has proven with 21 to 30 consecutive days of continuous thought you create new neural pathways in the brain.
The problem with affirmations is most people believe if they just read them aloud this will do the trick.
Actually, you need to visualize yourself performing in the manner you choose and enlisting the help of lots of positive emotion.
The more emotion you attach to a thought (or visualization) the more you flag it as important in your subconscious.
Hope this helps Jeffrey to shorten his time from one year to 21 to 30 days. (LOL)
Gene
March 12th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Which is even all the more amazing, since one great thinker — H.D. Thoreau — came up with the same thing over 150 years ago when he said:
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
Is he hot or what?
Michael