Carrie Bohn: Staff Writer ~ Community Communication
Several years ago, as I was preparing to launch my first business venture, I began reading books by Napoleon Hill. I wanted the secrets to happiness and success. A recurring theme in Hill’s work is his urgent message of “the riches you may enjoy if you take possession of your own mind and direct it to ends of your own choice”. Of course we have control of our own minds, right? Who else would have control? Throughout the next few years, I convinced myself I am in control, I have possession. We all know what we think and feel. We all have control. Or do we?
How do you even begin regaining control of your mind? You must first acknowledge that you do not have full possession. You must first acknowledge that you’ve allowed others to influence how you think, how you feel, and how you react to situations. You must become self-aware of your bias, your habits that don’t serve you well, your automatic hang-ups. We all have them, but we can also change…when we decide to.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs After acknowledging this, you set goals for yourself in biological (physical), psychological (mental), and spiritual (emotional) terms. By setting goals for yourself, you possess a road map to follow leading to your end goals. Without a destination and a guide to reach it, how do you know where you’re going and when you’ve arrived? You must have a plan. From goal-setting, you then develop daily habits that will inch you closer and closer to taking possession of your mind and your life.
We all have habits, whether good or bad, already laid down in our neural pathways. However, we need to weed through the ones that are positive and negative, and determine which negative habits we need to replace in order to achieve our goals and take possession of our mind. You cannot “get rid” of a habit. You must replace it with a positive, productive habit. If you attempt to eliminate a habit without replacing it, you will fail, return to your default neural pathway, frustrated and defeated.
Through acknowledging that you do not have complete possession of your mind right now, through goal-setting, and through developing productive daily habits, you will set yourself up for taking possession of your own mind which is what the universe intended.
Taking possession of your mind, developing thoughts your way, developing actions your way, and developing your life your way, defines what Napoleon Hill is speaking of when he gives us keys to success. Success comes with taking possession of your mind. Peace comes from taking possession of your mind. Ability to handle anything that life throws at you comes with taking possession of your own mind. You cannot accomplish success, peace, and resilience by molding your mind to suit others. You must be in control.
You are a prime candidate to refocus, refine, and dominate your life right now. When you take possession of your own mind, you achieve what you were meant to achieve, you live how you were meant to live, and there is a happiness, peace, and joy that is irreplaceable. We are all meant to take possession of our own mind. We are all meant to find success. We are all meant to be happy.
As an EI Expert, Certified Brain Health, and Certified Life Coach, I am a consultant to healthcare and educational leaders, law enforcement – the helpers of our world. Through my unique yet simple Emotional Intelligence strategies, leaders and staff learn to direct their thoughts, words, and actions for effective communication, improved situational outcomes, employee/client retention, and burnout prevention. Email: carrie@thebraindiva.com Cell: 843-450-4074 https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-a-boan, (Twitter, Instagram, Fb) @thebraindiva