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

Discover Your Gifts
Not all people are self-aware and have a good handle on their own skills, gifts,
and talents. They are a little like the comic strip character Charlie Brown. One
day after striking out in a baseball game, he says, “Rats! I’ll never be a big-
league player. I just don’t have it! All my life I’ve dreamed of playing in the big
leagues, but I’ll never make it.”
To which Lucy replies, “Charlie Brown, you’re thinking too far ahead. What
you need to do is set more immediate goals for yourself.”
For a moment, Charlie Brown sees a ray of hope. “Immediate goals?” he says.
“Yes,” answers Lucy. “Start with the next inning. When you go out to pitch,
see if you can walk out to the mound without falling down!”
I’ve met many individuals who grew up in a household full of Lucys. They
received little encouragement or affirmation, and as a result seem at a loss for
direction. If you have that kind of background, you need to work extra hard to
figure out what your gifts are. Take a personality profile such as DISC or Myers-
Briggs. Interview positive friends and family members to see where they think
you shine. Spend some time reflecting on past successes. If you’re going to
focus your thinking in your areas of strength, you need to know what they are.

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Develop Your Dream
If you want to achieve great things, you need to have a great dream. If you’re
not sure of your dream, use your focused thinking time to help you discover it. If
your thinking has returned to a particular area time after time, you may be able
to discover your dream there. Give it more focused time and see what happens.
Once you find your dream, move forward without second-guessing. Take the
advice of Satchel Paige: “Don’t look back—something might be gaining on
you.”
The younger you are, the more likely you will give your attention to many
things. That’s good because if you’re young you’re still getting to know yourself,
your strengths and weaknesses. If you focus your thinking on only one thing and
your aspirations change, then you’ve wasted your best mental energy. As you get
older and more experienced, the need to focus becomes more critical. The farther
and higher you go, the more focused you can be—and need to be.