What a great analogy for describing this situation! Yes, that is exactly what happens; people slap a few visualizations or affirmations into their day, and then think that years of past (as well as on-going) negative programming are just going to disappear.

Creating a positive, success-filled life requires more than just a bandaid – it’s more like the need for a transfusion!

Thanks, Lexi!

Lexi

That is exactly where the line is drawn in the sand for a lot of people. They think that their lives are a result of outside influences, rather than the truth of the matter that each of us controls our lives by creating them from the inside out.

Thanks for your comment!

That is an excellent question, and the simple answer is that any point of view that does not resonate with you, or does not fill you with feelings of success or empowerment would fall into the “negative” influence sphere.

So many people think that “positive” and “negative” are exact lines that are drawn in the sand, but in truth, both are merely measured from where any given person is standing at the time.

So, when it comes to judging the influence of others to be negative or positive, you simply have to ask yourself if their advice is empowering and full of positive “can do” energy, or if it is more steeped in feelings of lack, insecurity, doubt, etc.

We can all do anything that we can conceive of, so any advice that tells us not to wield that power to the best of our ability is advice not worth taking.

It seems that, taken to the extreme, one could label anyone that disagrees with their world view as a “negative influence.” How do you draw the line between people that have lots of negative energy and people who just see things differently than you?

Trying to be successful without feeling like someone who is on the success path is like jumping in the water and trying not to get wet – it simply doesn’t work that way!

As Abraham says, the most important thing is that you feel good.”

Very glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the great positive feedback!

Solution #3 is true to my heart as well. When I first got started down the self improvement path, I used to read/listen to/attend everything, and I realized (thankfully in short order!) that even the best advice needs to be taken with a grain of salt!

I loved this:

“If you want to program yourself for success then you need to lock down your mind against every single thought that is not colored with success, bathed in positivity, and wrapped up in an iron-clad sense of expectation.”

#3 of the solutions really resonated with me. I used to be very all or nothing… if it wasn’t 100% perfect, it was garbage.

Now I know that I don’t have to “drink the Kool-Aid” to get whatever positive benefits I can from any program, no matter what the source.

Thank you, sir, for another awesome post.

Absolutely – you make excellent points.

It’s not necessarily what you watch, it’s what you get out of it. Some people see Monster Truck shows as a massive waste of time and resources, while you see a the wonderful look on your son’s face. It’s all in what we get out of the experience, and whether or not that takes us in the directions that we want to go.

Radio stations are another excellent example. I actually turn my radio down when the commercials come on, or I change the station when they start talking about something negative. Music is a wonderful thing, but negative, insulting, or obnoxious news, advertisements, or DJ’s do nothing for me!