Unlimited Power - Chapter 5

 

Chapter 5 - The Seven Lies Of Success

 

Our beliefs are specific, consistent organizational approaches and fundamental choices about how to perceive our lives and thus how to live them.

We don't know if our beliefs are true or false. What we can know, though, is if they work-if they support us.

The word "lies" is used in this chapter as a constant reminder that we do not know for certain exactly how things are, and that no matter how much we believe in a concept, we should be open to other possibilities and continuous learning.

I suggest you look at these seven beliefs and decide whether they're useful for you.

I've found them time and time again in successful people I have modeled.

And remember, modeling begins with modeling people's belief systems of excellence.

BELIEF # 1: EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND A PURPOSE, AND IT SERVES US.

Remember the story of W. Mitchell-this was his key belief. Successful people have an uncanny ability to focus on what is possible in a situation, no matter how much negative feedback they get from their environment.

They believe that EVERY ADVERSITY CONTAINS THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT OR GREATER BENEFIT.

Do you generally expect things to work out well, or to work out poorly?

Do you see the potential in a situation, or do you see the roadblocks?

Many people tend to focus on the negative more than the positive.

The first step toward changing that is to recognize it.

BELIEFS IN LIMITS CREATES LIMITED PEOPLE

BELIEF #2: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FAILURE. THERE ARE ONLY RESULTS. 

People always succeed in getting some sort of results. The super successes of our culture aren't people who don't fail, but simply people who know that if they try something and it doesn't give them what they want, they've had an important learning experience.

You can always learn from every human experience and can thereby always succeed in anything you do.

Think of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison. They knew they were getting feedback, so they could make finer distinctions about politics and leadership, science and electricity.

Buckminster Fuller said: "Humans have learned only through mistakes."

A possibility thinker like Dr. Robert Schuller asks the question: "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Take the word "failure" out of your vocabulary, and replace it with "outcome."

BELIEF #3: WHATEVER HAPPENS, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.

Great leaders and achievers operate from the belief that they create their world. No matter what happens-good or bad-if they didn't cause it by their physical actions, maybe they did by the level and tenor of their thoughts. Now I don't know if this is true, but it's a useful lie-an empowering belief.

And if you don't believe that you're creating your world, you then believe that you're at the mercy of circumstances-things just happen to you you're an object, not a subject.

In the area of personal communication, we say that THE MEANING OF COMMUNICATION IS THE RESPONSE YOU GET. If we try to tell someone we love them, and they get upset or hostile, the fact is, our communication may have been the trigger without our knowing it.

By retaining responsibility, by changing our actions, we can change our communication-the power to change the result we produce.

BELIEF #4: IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING TO BE ABLE TO USE EVERYTHING.

Achievers tend to be time misers-they exact the essence from a situation, take out what they need, and don't dwell on the rest. They know what's essential and what's not.

I'll bet that if I asked you to explain how electricity works, you would come up with something between a blank and a sketchy answer. But you're quite capable of flicking the switch and getting the result called light.

BELIEF #5: PEOPLE ARE YOUR GREATEST RESOURCE.

Individuals of excellence almost universally have a tremendous sense of respect and appreciation for people.

They have a sense of team, a sense of common purpose and unity.

Look at Japanese business and the conclusion of the book In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman: "There was hardly a more pervasive theme in excellent companies than respect for the individual." One person, no matter how brilliant, will find it difficult to match the collaborative talents of an effective team.

BELIEF #6: WORK IS PLAY.

Pablo Picasso once said, "When I work, I relax; doing nothing or entertaining visitors makes me tired."

Mark Twain echoed, "The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation."

That's what successful people do-they enrich their work by bringing to it the same curiosity and vitality they bring to their play.

BELIEF #7: THERE'S NO ABIDING SUCCESS WITHOUT COMMITMENT.

If there's a single belief that seems almost inseparable from success, it's that there's no great success without great commitment.

Anna Pavlova once said: "To follow, without halt, one aim: there's the secret of success."

It's just another way of stating the Ultimate Success Formula-know your outcome, model what works, take action, develop the sensory acuity to know what you're getting, and keep refining it until you get what you want.

What do Larry Bird, Pete Rose, Tom Watson, Dan Rather, Michael Jackson have in common?

I like to describe what they do with W.E.I.T. What Ever It Takes (to succeed).

What if your beliefs are negative, not positive? How do you change beliefs?

You've already taken the first step-awareness. You know what you want.

The second step is action, learning to control your internal representations and beliefs, learning how to run your brain.