She lives so large, she makes superheros nervous.

Edna Mode, referred to as "E" (analogous to Superman’s "S", or Mr. Incredible’s "I"), fashion designer and costumer of superheros in Pixar’s The Incredibles, packs so much juice, boldness, and raw energy into her tiny frame that she’s a force to be reckoned with, even for indestructible superheros.

If E can have that kind of effect on fantastically empowered champions, imagine what thinking like E could do for you.

Superheroes are easy, darling. Mediocrity is much more difficult to work with—and it is in such great supply.

Why You Should Think Hard About Thinking Big

Oh sure, every motivational speaker out there is going to tell you, "Shoot for the stars! Dream! Be all you can be!" And it’s good for their business to do so; after all, they’re in the entertainment business. They’re there to pump you up, and help you face the big challenges that go along with big dreams.

But "thinking big" goes beyond just priming your emotional pump. It’s damn good advice.

Take a page from Google

Thinking big has helped Google go from an odd-sounding startup to a gargantuan online empire, the size of which most of us can’t even fathom. Bill Weihl, "Green Energy Czar" of the Renewable Energy Department of Google (yes, you read that right), described plainly the practical genius behind thinking big:

Even if you don’t always achieve 100% of audacious goals, you’re probably doing better than if you set milder goals.

Think about it: why not aim for a BHAG? You could aim for "decent", and you’ll probably arrive. Hooray for you. Enjoy that big helping of decent pie. Tastes like vanilla cardboard, doesn’t it?

Passion Ignites The Soul

Whether you follow U.S. politics or not, and whether your blood runs red or blue, you’ve no doubt heard about Barack Obama. Why is this man sweeping the nation, igniting the fires in people’s hearts, and renewing faith where it was once lost?

Because Obama knows how to dream.
Because he knows that dreams and hope are powerful forces.
And because he knows, as Seth does, that hope and love are far more powerful than fear.

Enough Theory — How Do I Get There Myself?

Thinking big is sometimes easier said than done, ain’t it? When you’re gripped by fear and uncertainty, it can seem tough to think like an advocate for living ginormously.

If you’re finding it hard to rise up and go, guns blazing, remember the words of E herself:

You are Elastigirl! My God! Pull yourself together! What will you do? Is this a question? Show him you remember that he is Mr. lncredible, and you will remind him who you are! Well, you know where he is. Go! Confront the problem! Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits.

• Remember who you are: When you’re thinking small, it’s because you’ve forgotten who you truly are. Read testimonials you’ve been sent. Or things your best friends have told you about yourself. Recall your strengths, your marquee talents, and above all, the content of your heart. No matter what you’ve done in your life, this much is true: you have a glorious, shining heart, and you can remember that at any time just by sitting quietly and getting in touch with it.
• Confront the problem: Resist the urge to procrastinate, to slink away from your challenges and hide within the comfortable (but diminishing) blankets of the known. (And if you need a hand with this one, I know a resource you may be interested in…)
• Fight! Win!: Anything worth accomplishing is going to be hard work. Otherwise, every lazy-butt sloth out there would be king. You’ve got to declare what you want, no matter how crazy it may sound, and go for it like there’s no turning back. That’s how champions are made.
• Look on the bright side: When E makes a super-suit for little baby Jack-Jack (who hadn’t yet revealed his superpowers), his mother, Elastigirl, says, "Jack-Jack doesn’t have any powers." And E’s reply is, "No? Well, he’ll look fabulous anyway."

Words are useless, darling! Gobble, gobble, gobble!

Planning has its time, but action is key. As E said,

Luck favors the prepared.

And yet, when the rubber meets the road, all the planning, theorizing, and talking in the world isn’t going to get you anywhere; you must act. Action is the liberator of intention, the champion of your thoughts.

Yes, words are useless. Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble! Too much of it, darling. Too much! That is why I show you my work. That is why you are here.

Never forget to act. It is in the arena of action that your mettle gets proven, that your brilliance will be realized, and your goals and dreams fulfilled.

Now Go! Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits.

Image via Wikipedia.

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments

gari.baldi

As you know by now, a big part of my approach to work is about healing the voices within that keep us from showing up at our best.

So when I got tagged (more on that in a second) for Peter’s “Think Different” challenge, it was a no-brainer; the idea, basically, is to try thinking differently about something in your life that you’ve been holding as a negative… start thinking positively about it, and see what happens.

(The “tagging” debacle? I was told by Tristan Loo of the Synergy Institute that he tagged me, but he actually tagged a different Adam (he has since added me to his tagged list, though!). I sorta put it out of my mind, but then Jennifer Mannion of Heal Pain Naturally tagged me from her post… so that’s when I figured the Universe was trying to tell me something!)

As the wind bloweth

Now, thinking differently about something you’re holding as a negative is good… and, in my experience, it can be like trying to keep a paper cup on a picnic table in a wind storm. You can try to keep your thoughts in the positive, but if you’ve got a strong wind — belief systems, in this case — that keep on blowing the same way they have been, then you can try all you want to keep that cup on the table, but it isn’t going to happen.

If you want to keep your thoughts positive, you’ve got to make your belief (which generates your thoughts) positive first.

Example:

If you look outside your window, see grey skies, and think, “Bummer weather,” that’s just a thought created by a belief that says, “grey skies = bad.” You can try to think positively about your day, but as long as you have it worked up in your mind that “grey = bad,” you’ve got an uphill battle on your hands.

But if you look outside your window, see grey skies, and think, “Woo hoo!”, then you’ve obviously got a belief system that says, “grey skies = good.” Thinking positively, then, becomes automatic.

So, back to the challenge…

Right now, the bulk of my time and energy is being spent working on the Internal Success course. And as excited as I am about it, and even as the project cascades into so much more than it was when I started, I still have doubts now and again.

(Doubts = thoughts = the evil brainchild of negative beliefs.)

I’d love to think differently about them, so rather than just try to reorient my thoughts, I put the Internal Success teachings into action. Within two minutes, my thoughts went from scarcity-based thoughts, “No one will want it, there are already tons of programs out there…”, to, “There are millions of people out there who need it… this could be huge. There’s no shortage at all. Make it, offer it, be open and invite people to it. Be positive!”

And the great thing is, it was totally sincere. When I try to “overwrite” my thoughts, there’s always this nagging voice underneath it all, saying, “Oh, come on… you can try to affirm otherwise, but you know it’s not really like that.”

But with the negative beliefs cleared out of my system, those old connections just aren’t there anymore. There’s no tide I’m trying to hold back; my beliefs are naturally generating positive, abundant thoughts.

As a (wo)man thinketh

It’s true (to borrow the phrase from James Allen): As you thinketh, so you are. Changing your thoughts is a sure-fire way to impact the quality of your life (no big revelation here). But if you want to have more success at it than trying to keep a paper cup steady in a wind storm, don’t stop with your thoughts alone; clear the beliefs you have that are keeping your thoughts headed down the wrong paths, and you’ll be much better off.

Want a podcast of this? Click here.

And thanks to all those who commented on the previous post so far: Tim Warneka, Elena, Mark McCullagh, Shafie

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2007. | Permalink | 14 comments

Your fingers tremble… the monitor fogs up… but still, you try to type those emails.

Pretty soon, though, your fear is going to get the best of you. And when that happens, being productive is going to become very, very difficult.

You’ll procrastinate, avoid, daydream; anything to not have to face the feeling that at any moment, that wolf could get… hungry.

Far fetched? Not really…

When you’re working, you hear negative thoughts in your head all the time. Thoughts of doubt, fear, disbelief that you’re on the right track, or that you’re capable of doing what you need and want to do.

It’s these negative voices that most often cause procrastination, avoidance of responsibility, and struggle when trying to move forward. I mean, really, how can you focus enough to act productively when you’ve got that wolf salivating in your ear?

What do you do?

Ignore the feelings? No; living in denial is like trying to pretend the wolf isn’t there, breathing over your shoulder… the fear eats away at you until you’re a quivering, gelatinous mess.

Okay, so engage with it, then? No, not that, either; how successful do you think you’ll be, trying to convince the wolf to leave you alone? Are your popsicle-stick fingers going to be much of a match for the wolf’s powerful, gnashing teeth? Are your feeble arguments and affirmations going to diffuse the might of the darkness, with its persistent persuasions and perennial perjuries?

No, you’d have better luck trying to eat the wolf before it eats you.

Well, what’s left?

What you need is a bear — a big, hungry Kodiak brown bear — one that’s on your side, that is. One glimpse of your big brown pal is going to send that scrawny wolf packing.

Where are you going to find such a big, furry friend?

Where else? Inside your heart.

Let me break this down for you:

In many traditions around the world, when speaking of the Divine, the term “The Truth” is often used. So if the Divine is Truth, what is its opposite?

Falsehood. Lies.

If there was someone you knew who lied 100% of the time, would you listen? Would you still hang out with them?

Or would you sever the relationship, wishing them the best, but getting them out of your life?

Of course you would. Listening to a lying voice all the time would be draining beyond belief.

So, why listen to the wolf? Why listen to the thoughts of negativity that tell you it won’t work, that you can’t do it, that you’re not good enough? You know where they lead. You know they’re falsehood and lies. Isn’t that clear enough?

It’s a simple equation, really.

The more you humor it, the more it will persist. And aren’t you ready to get those kinds of doubts out of your life? Haven’t you procrastinated enough? Haven’t they gotten the best of you for too long?

Okay, but how do I do it?

Turn away. Ignore them. Go to the light. As soon as you sense those wolf-thoughts ramping up for another sabotaging strike, be firm: grab hold of your inner bear — your connection to the Divine — and don’t let go.

But isn’t this just denial? I mean, the wolf has got me! Don’t I have to deal with it?

If the wolf has you — meaning, you’re gripped by the reactions of having listened to the fears and doubts already — then yes, you have to deal with it. And the best way to deal with it is to put the bear to work, fast.

Turn to the wisdom and strength of the Truth to get free from the jaws of illusion. Turn to your heart’s knowing, and see what it does to the fear.

But 90% of the time, you can sense the wolf creeping up on you, can’t you? When you start to apply yourself at work, you can feel a subtle sense of dread as the doubts and fears start welling up inside you. That’s the wolf, walking into the room.

And here’s why I’m writing this article:

If you think the only way to stop those voices of doubt is to hear what they’re saying, then you’re trying to have a staring contest with the wolf. Not gonna do the trick, I promise.

How much easier would it be, when you first notice the fear arising, to turn away from it and back to the Truth in your heart? To reach in with your heart, experience the Divine Presence again, and feel the fullness of connection?

Wouldn’t it be best to call on the bear? Because you know what that wolf is going to say already.

Image by ucumari.

© Adam for Adam Kayce, 2007. | Permalink | No comment