I think Yoda was onto something when he taught Luke Skywalker to move objects with his mind. While I wish I could pick up clutter from the couch, that’s not what I’m talking about. The most valuable lesson Yoda taught Luke was to move himself from a mindset of defeat to one of opportunity and accomplishment. You, too, can change your outlook and even your prospects, which is important in today’s world where many people feel more powerless than ever.
It does take some brain retraining, though, and a good amount of positive thinking. Here are three areas where you can start:
1. Believing in yourself
I also have an affinity for Henry Ford. I’m sure he had some shortcomings. We all do. But what he accomplished in his lifetime was remarkable. He revolutionized the automotive industry, not just by employing the use of an assembly line, but by creating an entirely new market by reducing the cost of a vehicle from something only the rich could afford to one available to the average American worker.
He turned an automobile factory into an airplane factory during WWII, building 86,865 complete aircraft for the war effort. His Willow Run Assembly Plant cranked out a B-24 bomber every 63 minutes. This feat brings to mind one of my favorite Henry Ford quotes: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” It’s become a mantra of sorts to many high achievers, especially those who are innovators.
I wonder what you’ve told yourself you can do recently. Was it something others told you they didn’t believe you could do? Or do you fight the inner battle of thinking you can’t do something when others urge you forward? What one phrase on a sticky note on your mirror would help you overcome this?
Reminders are powerful.
2. Being grateful
When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.
Willie Nelson
One of the most important things that I did during the pandemic was journaling about what I was grateful for. And this did a couple of things for me.
One, it made me really grateful for what I had. Not being so focused on what I didn’t have really shifted my perspective. To be honest with you, I was thankful almost every day that I didn’t have little kids at home who were stir crazy. And I didn’t have teenagers at home who were really needing to be around their friends more than their parents.
But the other thing that it did for me was create a sympathy for the people who were in a different position from me. It enabled me to have a little bit more grace for the people who had small children at home, or who had some critical decisions to make in their business that I wasn’t faced with.
Perspective and patience were both really powerful byproducts of being grateful.
3. Celebrating with others
The next thing that I think we have a lot of power over is our enthusiasm and our ability to share that and celebrate with others.
There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.
Norman Vincent Peale
This enthusiasm the form of celebration. I’ve always found that celebrating with others and being generous in my encounters is powerful. Even if I don’t have money to share, being generous with my enthusiasm, being generous with my praise, being generous with my knowledge or wisdom, and really just being involved in other people’s lives in a generous way is a great way to celebrate with them.
Celebration is critically important to us at The Aviation Collective. We like to focus on celebrating for ourselves and certainly for other people more than anything else. The ability to slow down to celebrate accomplishments, to celebrate milestones, to celebrate even the little wins really gives a boost to anyone’s day. As a Founding Member of The Aviation Collective, you will have access to the private Facebook and LinkedIn groups where you can practice celebrating with others.
No matter what form it takes, I’m going to encourage you to believe in yourself, practice gratitude and celebrate with others. Give it a try and see what you think.
