Looking in All Directions

One day while I was driving with my grandson, he asked me, “How do you remember everything you have to do to drive the car?”  I told him, “I don’t think about it much at all.  I drive.”  I could see that confused him a bit, so I tried to explain that there are tasks we do all the time that have many steps, but we don’t think about the steps, we do it.

                Tony Robbins calls this “chunking.”  Chunking is when you take many steps, and they become one step or one task.  The example I gave to my grandson was that of getting dressed.  When you get dressed in the morning you have several things you have to put on and several tasks you need to do.  “Do you think about each one before you do it?” I asked.  “No,” he said, “I just get dressed.”  Well, that is exactly what chunking is.  You do it.

"Look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion, and up with gratitude."

- Zig Ziglar

(1926-2012)

Author/Speaker

                This same principle can apply to our attitudes.  During our day, we have many challenges and situations that create emotions or responses we need to control.  An undisciplined person will be moody, fly off the handle and often deal with a bad temper.  That is because they do not have control over their lives.  The success-minded person will face life and all the challenges that go with it with a positive and productive attitude.

                We make choices about the things we face.  Do we respond in anger or do we find a solution?  Do we thank someone for something they have done or do we let it pass so we can think of other things?  Life is full of choices we have to make every minute we live.  So how do you make the right choice each time you have a challenge?  Here are four things you can do to make the right choice every time.

1).  Make a choice Ahead of Time

                Success-minded people know that to be successful in life, you must make the right choices before you face a challenge, not during or after the fact.  You decide now that you there is an answer to every problem and you will find the answer.  Decide now that anger and negative behavior never accomplish a thing and you will face life from a positive viewpoint.  Once you have made these choices you never have to make them again.  You do what you know to do.

2).  Keep in a Positive State

                Being positive is more than just how you think.  That is a big part, but only a part.  How you hold yourself, move, and talk also play a part in being positive.  Discipline yourself to stand straight, look forward, walk at a confident pace and, above all, keep a smile on your face.  Smile when you talk to others and always show respect and kindness in your words.  Do this, and it will be impossible to be negative or depressed.

3).  Make Life an Adventure

                Success-minded people have fun in life because they see it all as one great adventure.  I know it is easy to think your life is dull and uneventful most of the time, but that is just what you want to see.  Start seeing life as something to conquer; as an adventure to have.  When you wake each day expecting to have an adventure, you will face the unknown with excitement and eagerness rather than fear and dread.

4).  Be Grateful for Everything

                Above all, things that create a positive and productive attitude, nothing can compare with gratitude.  The grateful person knows that each day is a gift.  Every person they see is an opportunity to show kindness and to add value.  They see every challenge as a way to become better, to know more and to move closer to their goals.

                The secret to living this positive and highly productive life to do these things every day until they become a regular part of your life.  You do not do each one on its own; rather you chunk them into one way of living.  Like getting dressed or driving the car, you do it.

You can learn more about Personal Development from author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey.  To get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2018 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without the permission of the author.