‘when times are tough, how can I get myself out of the negative mindset, and move towards more positive thinking?‘ The negative mindset that so many people have today is tremendously damaging to the creative process, so it becomes a downward spiral – you hear and think more negative thoughts, have less creativity, which leads to less confidence and inspiration, plunging you into deeper darkness. So today I want to provide you a very valuable tool to help cope with some of the negative stuff that’s out there, as my small gift to you on this important day. Obviously it’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., while the Canadian version happened in October, several weeks before the U.S. one. And it’s a great day to be thinking about what you’re grateful for. Why don’t they happen on the same day, like Christmas or Halloween? I was told it’s because in the old days, the Canadian harvests had to be completed earlier in the season because of the changing weather. So when the harvest was done, that’s when they showed thanks, and we ended up celebtrating the holiday earlier up north. In any case, I thought I’d reflect a bit on the idea of “gratitude” and thanks, because it’s actually one of the most powerful habits you can develop on your path to success and wealth. Gratitude is my one-word answer when people ask me “how can I break out of the negative thinking I’m in?” Cicero held that “gratitude is the mother of all virtues“, and I believe this to be true because the feeling and practice of gratitude is a tremendously powerful tool when you are trying to get inspired, or put yourself in a positive mindset. Any time you’re feeling really down, depressed, defeated or that life is too complicated, a very simple exercise is to pull out a blank piece of paper, and started writing out as many answers as you can that complete this statement:
I Am Grateful For . . .
At times when I’ve been under tremendous stress, or felt that I just couldn’t do all the things I had to do, I’ve done this exercise and experienced its tremendous power. It immediately gets you grounded on what’s important in your life, and helps you realize how blessed you truly are. This quickly leads to inspiration and a positive sense of your life, which begins to unbottle the creative and optimistic side of your mind. And if you truly want to harness the Power of Gratitude, write out a list of 200 things you’re grateful for .. and then copy 5 or 10 onto a series of small index cards. Every day, randomy pull a card out and just read it and reflect on what is on the card. It’s a great way to regularly connect back into what helps you feel grateful. Needless to say, today I am grateful for living such a blessed life. My list has hundreds of things on it, but today the things that percolate to the top of the list for me are that I am grateful for ..- my incredible and beautiful wife Raylene that keeps me real, and makes me laugh as we venture down the path together
- our unbelievably cute baby boy, Cooper, who is truly the centre of my life and gives me reason to believe in the good and purity of all things we experience in this life
- my trusted and adored business partner and best friend, Kourosh, who I couldn’t do what I do without
- our entire team at MasterWealth and Real Equity who allow me to do more of what I do, and that have given me reason to believe that your team truly is what makes you successful in business
- the choices I get to make in life about what I spend my time on, and that I get to spend part of every day trying to improve the outlook, education and financial intelligence of people around the world
- the opportunities that the universe gives us on a daily basis, if only we keep our eyes open and our minds willing to allow them to be seen (especially now!)
- the incredible support that I get from all of our clients, associates, partners and friends, who share the integrity and spirit of growth and success, and enable me to bring my message of empowerment and evolution to more people
- the ability to see what many others can’t see, and for the movement that we’re creating around educating people about money and wealth, and for what’s to come in 2009.