Mental mastery - making the most of mental capabilities - Brief Article

Black Enterprise, July, 2000 by Hasani Pettiford

Your success climb starts in the mind

Want to take over the world? Okay, that's a little overambitious. What about seizing control of your own world? Well, it is your mind that rules your universe. After all, everything that you will ever possess will come to you as a result of the way you use your mind. It is the master key that will unlock every door in life.

"You must be fearless and possess a pioneering spirit that precludes any hesitation in accomplishing your goals," says Glenn Davis, president of True Investments Inc., a financial education seminars and workshops firm in Newark, New Jersey, and author of Breaking Down Paper Walls (self-published, $15.95). "All of your fears create brick walls that can only be destroyed with a proper attitude adjustment."

Nearly every circumstance in your life, whether for better or worse, has been created by your thinking. So there are no limits other than those you've imposed on yourself. Davis offers four suggestions to help you tear down those mental walls:

1. Release your fears. Fear is the single greatest obstacle to success. Therefore, acknowledge all your fears and insecurities. Then, determine why such fears exist. Finally, release them by taking positive steps toward your desired result.

2. Remove yourself from negative environments. Prolonged association with negative people will usually make you think negatively. However, companionship with ambitious people gives you a stronger sense of ambition. So, in order to be successful, surround yourself with positive, successful people.

3. Renew your mind. You must begin to reprogram your mind with new information and inspiration that will positively shape your thoughts. This, in turn, will help you begin to take charge of your life. The size of your success is determined by the size of your mind.

4. Rebuild your vision. Your strategy is the ticket that will take you to your desired destination. Create a systematic path or course to help you move in the direction you want to go. By writing down your strategy, you are planning the person you want to become and what you want to achieve in this life.