How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life pdfdrive com

3. Realistic Thinking Is a Catalyst for Change
People who rely on hope for their success rarely make change a high priority.
If you have only hope, you imply that achievement and success are out of your
hands. It’s a matter of luck or chance. Why bother changing?
Realistic thinking can dispel that kind of wrong attitude. There’s nothing like
staring reality in the face to make a person recognize the need for change.
Change alone doesn’t bring growth but you cannot have growth without change.

---

4. Realistic Thinking Provides Security
Any time you have thought through the worst that can happen and you have
developed contingency plans to meet it, you become more confident and secure.
It’s reassuring to know that you are unlikely to be surprised. Disappointment is
the difference between expectations and reality. Realistic thinking minimizes the
difference between the two.

---

5. Realistic Thinking Gives You Credibility
Realistic thinking helps people to buy in to the leader and his or her vision.
Leaders continually surprised by the unexpected soon lose credibility with their
followers. On the other hand, leaders who think realistically and plan
accordingly position their organizations to win. That gives their people
confidence in them.
The best leaders ask realistic questions 
before
casting vision. They ask
themselves things like…
Is it possible?
Does this dream include everyone or just a few?
Have I identified and articulated the areas that will make this dream
difficult to achieve?

---

6. Realistic Thinking Provides a Foundation to Build On
Thomas Edison observed, “The value of a good idea is in using it.” The
bottom line on realistic thinking is that it helps you to make an idea usable by
taking away the “wish” factor. Most ideas and efforts don’t accomplish their
intended results because they rely too much on what we wish rather than what is.
You can’t build a house in midair; it needs a solid foundation. Ideas and plans
are the same. They need something concrete on which to build. Realistic
thinking provides that solid foundation.

---