Why You DO Get What You Think About: 4 Steps to Getting Better Outcomes

We’ve heard it hundreds of times . . . you get what you think about.   Well, what if it’s true?  What if your brain was actually designed to “bring about” what you “think about”?

If you knew it was true, would you spend time complaining about your growth last year?  Or how you’re having a hard time finding good team members?  Or how no one is buying in this economy?

Would it surprise you to find out that the results you’re getting ARE a direct reflection of your thoughts? Let me introduce you to The Cycle of Perpetual Sameness.

It all begins in the unconscious mind.  All of us have ideas about ourselves and about the world around us, stored in our unconscious minds.  These beliefs take hold in your unconscious mind from processing all the various experiences in your life and also from the repetition of our own thoughts. 

Beliefs about your business can be things like . . .

No one is making money in this economy or . . .

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know or . . .

You have to work a lot of hours to be successful . . . and countless others. 

Inside your brain is the Reticular Activating System, which acts like a little matchmaker. This little matchmaker’s full-time job is to spend all day every day looking for matches in the world around you that already match the beliefs stored in your unconscious mind.

For example, if you have an inner belief that you can’t find good team members, guess which type of people your brain is going to find as a “match” for your team?  That’s right. The little matchmaker in your brain will literally “filter out” the great candidates and you will be hiring less-than-par people.

And unfortunately when we get bad results, we want to talk and complain about those circumstances, don't we?

This negative talk works up a bunch of emotions that acts like a glue and cements these thoughts into your unconscious mind where they reinforce your current beliefs.

And this is why most people experience incremental change in their lives.  It’s because many people are on The Cycle of Perpetual Sameness. They keep thinking the same things over and over and they keep reinforcing the same situations in their lives.

The easiest way to get off of this cycle is to stop the negative talk and to start talking and thinking differently. In other words, changing what you’re saying to others and changing what you’re saying to yourself.

The four steps for changing your outcomes…

Step 1:  Become aware of the thoughts and messages you regularly think and say.

Get your mind aware and start paying attention to the thoughts you are thinking and the things you are saying to yourself and others.  Ask yourself, “Is this the message I want to match?”

Step 2:  Make a decision to change

Make a conscious decision to change the way you think and the way you talk, which therefore changes the belief stored in your unconscious mind.

Step 3: Use your focused conscious attention to think and say positive statements that reflect the change you'd like to see in your beliefs and your life.

It may be hard to believe but the brain can only think one thought at a time.  If you make a conscious effort to say positive phrases like mantras or affirmations to yourself, then it’s less time the brain is thinking negative thoughts.  Make a conscious effort to look for the “silver lining.”  Do your best to stay hopeful and positive in your day-to-day life.

Step 4:  Feel the positive emotion generated from the new positive thoughts.

Negative thinking and negative emotions cut off the creative pathways in your brain.  When you feel positive, you create a resourceful brain.  Stay in that positive place and you make better decisions.  When you are in this better frame of mind you can now start taking effective action in your business.  I call it Intentional Action … get your mindset right first, then take action.

Start now.  Start thinking new positive thoughts right now.  Create a new positive voice in your head, which will not only give you new beliefs about your business but will also give that little matchmaker a chance to show you positive results.  It’s time to get off The Cycle of Perpetual Sameness and to start taking Intentional Action.  Start using the brain’s natural tendencies to your advantage.

About the Author

Dana Wilde is founder of The Mind Aware, creator of the acclaimed Train Your Brain professional training system and author of Train Your Brain: How to Build a Million Dollar Business in Record Time. Dana has educated thousands of business owners how to train their brains to rapidly and easily grow their businesses. Start training your brain for FREE at www.danawilde.biz!