Ahead of the Times

I am inspired! Sometimes in life we encounter situations or objects that resonate with us at a deep level and which leave a lasting impression. I have had one of those moments. I recently read The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and am amazed at the insights that were shared in this book. I have shared a short post about my takeaways previously but feel that a longer post is warranted. Dr. Peale was not a coach but a clergyman. He was a pioneer in sharing the concepts of positive thinking as well as the practical applications of these concepts in daily life. In his book, Dr. Peale shares methods that can be adopted by anyone who wished to to improve their lives, be successful and ultimately live with purpose. The thing that struck me was how relevant these themes and methods still are today, given that Dr. Peale lived between 1898 and 1993. He really was ahead of the times in that respect. Coaching is still a relatively new profession and yet, these concepts were being applied decades ago and by someone who was not a coach. Granted there is also an emphasis on religion, the essence of the book is about spreading the message that people can improve their lives through tried and true methods, as opposed to being a narrative forcing the reader into swallowing false positivity. Here I’d like to share with you my key takeaways from the book as they have application in my life and work.

Your issues are not unique.

It may seem that no one understands the pit that you are in and that you are the only person in the world who has ever been in your situation but this is simply not true. Somewhere out there are other people who have been in the same boat as you and have found their way to land. You can too if you are willing to do the inner work and have belief in the process.

You manifest the content of your thoughts.

I’ve mentioned in my previous post, Letting Go of the Scarcity Mindset, that life is like a mirror. You create your own reality by what you think and how you behave in relation to these thoughts. Thoughts have electrical charges and their own vibrations. You are essentially sending out the vibrations of your thoughts to the Universe, which is simply giving you what it thinks you are asking for from it. Therefore if you focus your thoughts on the negatives, that is what you will get in reality. Instead, focusing on thoughts that are productive, optimistic and positive is a much better choice. That isn’t to say that you won’t face challenges along the way, but you can reduce the impact of these in your life through a shift in mindset.

Worry and Fear are a waste of time.

Being too attached to these feelings will eventually manifest in a decline in your mental and physical health – the opposite of what you are trying to achieve by worrying and being fearful! Your brain does a good job of protecting you through its fight or flight response and this is OK for a short while but letting worry and fear seep into the core of your existence will result in damage to your wellbeing and stop you from achieving your full potential. Try to be aware of when these thoughts enter your mind and actively replace them with thoughts that leave you feeling energetic, positive and motivated. This includes being careful to avoid engaging in “worry conversations”. These are subtle spoken references towards the negative that can easily become habit. For example, thinking, I’m sure it will be another tough day today, indicates that you have already envisioned a tough day in your mind and have resigned yourself to this. Instead think, I am going to make the best of today. It’s a simple but powerful shift. Incorporate small positive habits into your day and they will yield big results over time.

Model others.

This is a core principle of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and again, I am amazed that it was touched upon in Dr. Peale’s book. By studying the success and excellence of others, this enables us to model their behaviours so that we can also achieve our own version of success and fulfilment. For example, Dr. Peale was particularly emphatic on the importance of kindness towards others and letting go of hate and anger. If you are struggling with toxic or negative feelings, look to someone who demonstrates your desired qualities and find out how you can model these into your own behaviour.

So here we are. These are my key takeaways from someone who was not a Coach but whose concepts and methods are so incredibly relevant today. I am left feeling a surge of energy and belief in the power of coaching after reading Dr. Peale’s writing. I hope that you have found these insights to be helpful and that you will apply one or more of these into your daily life.