Ideas about motivation and inspiration change over time.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s pundits advocated a positive mental attitude as
the key to achieving goals and insuring happiness. The mere act of thinking
positively, we were told, would cause what we wanted to magically appear.
Recently,
“The Secret” has been revealed and has
been spreading like wild fire. The latest greatest belief is in the “Law of
Attraction.” In short, the theory tells us when we think positively and
imagine we already have what we want, the powers of the universe will align
to make it ours.
I have seen the importance of positive mental attitude and
the Law of Attraction in my own life. Both have been fundamental in the
publication of my book A
Special Gift. Almost four years ago I wrote about the importance of
soap operas in the Venezuelan culture. Specifically, I mentioned Juan José,
the book’s principal character, was happiest while watching the soap opera
at 9:00 PM. Just before my book was published, I met
Guillermo Dávila who has been an actor on many soap operas and at that
time was in the show at 9:00 PM. This manifestation of the Law of Attraction
led me to ask him to baptize and be the Godfather of my book.
While a positive attitude and the Law of Attraction are
powerful, we have the benefit of additional basic principles which can
empower us to overcome our daily challenges. “Overcome Challenge?” you might
ask. “Could it be Rob really wants to say overcome problems?” I firmly
believe we should focus on the challenge in a situation rather than on the
problem. I have yet to find a problem which cannot be seen as a challenge.
Our mind is a marvelous machine which processes information exactly as it is
presented. When we embrace challenge, we reject problems. When our mind sees
a difficult situation as a challenge, it automatically begins to generate
solutions.
In addition to a positive mental attitude and the conscious
implementation of the Law of Attraction which provide a tremendous backdrop
to Overcome Challenge, it is beneficial to employ:
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A good sense of humor
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Something which drives us to take action
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The talent to see the good in a bad situation
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A healthy curiosity about the world in which we live
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The capacity to see the reality of the moment, be it good
or bad
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Faith in general and specifically in our ability to resolve
the most difficult of circumstance
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We have all overcome difficulty. When we finally succeed,
after muddling through dark thoughts of desperation and defeat, we cherish
the moment forever. These instances become the stories we tell our children
and grandchildren and, ultimately, are the experiences which give us the
most satisfaction.
It’s not enough to simply think and imagine everything will
be fine in the end. We must confidently move forward and take action knowing
we have the power to change our direction, Overcome Challenge and determine
our destiny.
*Locus of control theory is a concept that extends between psychology and
sociology, which distinguishes between two types of people - internals, who
attribute events to their own control, and externals, who attribute events
in their life to external circumstances.
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