Getting It Backwards

“It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative.”
– John Burroughs

In Issue #243

Editor’s Note: I planned to write to you today about moving through a transition in your career or business. But then I came across an essay I wrote a couple of years ago that expresses what I had in my mind. So rather than writing the same idea in a slightly different way, I’m reprinting the original. I hope you enjoy it.—Krista

Main Essay: Getting It Backwards
by Krista Jones

Last week, one of my mentoring “students” was considering taking advantage of a self-marketing opportunity that can easily make her career. The downside is if she does it before she’s ready, she could blow her career.

This courageous lady was ready to apply, but sought my advice before making the move. Well, let me tell you, she is quite talented and I’m confident she will do well in the industry. But, I was still a little nervous about telling her to go for it.

As I considered how to respond to her, I remembered a situation I was in back in the summer of 1986 …

It was the last quarter of grad school and I was attempting to finish my thesis. Although I’m usually a fairly positive thinker, at the time I was mired in doubt, thinking I would never finish it on time.

Here’s why:

I needed to collect about six inches of rainfall data in order to complete the thesis, but we were in the middle of an unusually dry summer. About a month before my thesis was due, my computer, which contained the only record of everything I had written, crashed. And … my thesis advisor, who was renowned for being extremely tough on women, wasn’t the least bit interested in granting me an extension.

I was stressed out to say the least!

Well, one night I was bellyaching about my plight over pizza with George, my good friend and mentor. George listened for a while and then he told me I would finish my thesis on time.

And then he added, “But you will have to believe it before you see it.”

George always looked at life differently than anyone else I had ever known, and I usually loved him for it. But that night I was put off that he didn’t give my crisis the weight it deserved.

Fortunately, about 15 minutes later I came to my senses and realized George was absolutely right.

The next day I started concentrating on reconstructing my thesis. I focused on it so much that I lost track of myself. I stayed up very late most nights, missed a few parties, and even skipped a class or two to rewrite the report. As it turned out, it was much better than the original.

And yes, the rains came in time, and I finished and successfully defended my thesis on time.

Which brings me back to my talented student.

How silly of me to hesitate to encourage her to apply for the opportunity to market her services nationwide. After all, she is doing exactly what she should do to jumpstart her copywriting business: Believing it before she sees it.

That’s what I had to do to build my business—and it’s what you’ll have to do too.

Belief is much more than a feeling. When you believe something is true, you automatically do things that align with that belief. It’s those actions (staying up late to complete a goal, getting a coach, or taking advantage of a powerful self-promotion opportunity) that bring the results you’re looking for.

So if you’re sitting back thinking “I’ll believe it when I see it” as you pursue your goals, you’re getting it backwards.

You’ll be much better off if you let go of your old identity so you can focus more heavily on the opportunities that are in front of you. Then you’ll start to see the results you want more quickly.

Resource Referral: Get Paid to Travel

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Quick Business Tip: 3 Ways to Reboot Your Mind

If you’re working on a project but can’t seem to find the words or answers you need, banging your head on your desk is not the solution.

Instead of putting in more idle time in front of your laptop, try one of these quick solutions to reboot your brain:

  1. Take a shower: Often times when I get stuck in my work and I can’t come up with the creative ideas and solutions I need, I drop everything and take a shower. Once I’m in the shower, my mind drifts away from my challenge and most of the time the words or the solution I was looking for appears. This happens because when you stop thinking about your problem or you do things that require much thought, the left brain (the logical side of your brain) is basically suspended and the right brain (the creative brain) emerges as dominant. When this happens, you experience some of your most creative and best problem-solving thinking.
  2. Turn it over to your subconscious mind: This isn’t psycho-babble, it works, especially when your conscious mind is quiet or has been quiet for some period of time. That said, I generally use this fix at night just before I go to sleep. I state to my subconscious mind that I would like the right words, ideas or answers to come to me while I’m sleeping. Then I close my eyes with the peace of mind that something will come to me by morning. And you know what? Seven times out of ten it does!
  3. Join a mastermind group: This concept has been around for a long time. The idea is that two or more heads are better than one. I recently joined a mastermind group and it’s wonderful. Aligning yourself with a group of like-minded people who are focused on their next level will dramatically accelerate your progress.