by David Duncan

Created on: June 26, 2009

"Achievement seems to be linked to action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit" (Conrad Hilton).

This quote by Conrad Hilton speaks directly to the importance of linking positive thought to flowing, positive action. A strong, mental state can guard against discouragement, but it has to have a purpose or goal attached to it that requires us to put our positive attitude to the test, to see if we really can achieve what we think we can, in order to have any real meaning.

Recently, I put my own positive attitude to the test. With a concern for my current career starting to peak, I started looking at returning to school to learn a new trade. As with any goal-setting, I first took a long look at myself; my age, my overall health, my interest, and my family obligations. Then, I began to create positive self-talk about obtaining more education and a new career. I was fortunate, being aided in my self-talk with a history of continued education success, already holding a Bachelor's Degree. In my mind, I know I can dig deep enough again to find the balance to go back to school and still manage the rest of my life.

The time it takes to create a positive attitude about any goal can vary. For myself, I can get excited about a new goal in minutes, but I don't become completely convinced it can be accomplished until I actually begin to do some background on all the factors surrounding my goal. Then, I ask myself that all-important question, Now, with all the information you can find, do you think you really want to do this? As for returning to school to start a career, it took two months to reach the point where I took my positive self-talk and set up an appointment to register for school.

What would have happen if I had allowed fear or doubt stop me from taking my positive thoughts about returning to school to the next stage? Well, I would not be going back to school in September, delaying my entrance into a steadily growing industry. Like many growth opportunities, this particular educational opportunity is very time-sensitive. More important than losing the educational opportunity, I could have lost something even more important to me; the desire to even dream about a chance to learn a new career. The human mind is a very powerful and logical tool. Some many daily issues require our attention in life, causing us to make priorities in our thinking. So, if we don't give positive thoughts a strong reason to exist in our minds, they can easily fade away.

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