“For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” Proverbs

When I drive from Boise to Utah, I pass some government-sponsored signs warning that DROWSY DRIVERS CAUSE CRASHES. As soon as I see the word drowsy, I immediately feel sleepy. The creator of those signs missed a basic eternal principle that Earl Nightingale called The Strangest Secret. It is a principle that weaves its way through most religions and through all modern personal development philosophies. It is the principle that we are what we think about.

When I am training fitness classes I am fond of saying, “Remember, The Little Engine That Could is a true story.” If we think tired thoughts during the workout, we slow down but if we think strong, I can thoughts, we speed up and feel energized. If we focus on an injury or illness, we feel fragile but if we focus on how healthy the majority of our body is we feel strong, and pain takes a back seat. For that reason, we fill our program with power phrases like:

• You can always do more than you think you can
• If it doesn’t challenge you doesn’t change you
• Staying strong in the middle is a life skill
• What you think about expands
• Finishing strong is a life skill
• Remember your why
• Never give up. Ever.
• No excuses

Here are a few tips to help you keep it positive:

• Never argue for your limitations
• Think about what you think about
• Limit media
• Read and listen to books that motivate you
• Limit exposure to toxic people
• Use power phrases

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you are right.”

-Henry Ford