Success By Thinking Article

A high school student once said that he only thought of himself as a factory worker. In high school, he was a talented musician, an All-American basketball player and an outstanding student with several collegiate scholarships. Many years later, this person still works at a local factory in our hometown producing limited results in his life.

Often, it's not a lack of money or opportunity that keeps us from our potential; it's the way we think about ourselves. The Word of God constantly reminds us of our thought life. �As a man thinks in his heart, so is he�, according to Proverbs. 23:7. The Bible even goes so far as to tell you what to think about in Philippians 4:8 ��think on these things whatever is true, honorable, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy�.

Success in life, ministry and business begin with the way you think about yourself. How do you think about yourself, your life and others? Do you wake up in the morning quietly nagging yourself about what and whom you don't like? Your behavior, dress, physical appearance is directly related to the way you think. Your outward appearance is a direct reflection of your inward self. The inner you appears outwardly in the form of negative comments, bad body language, or an unpleasant attitudes. People who feel inferior will always miss out on promotions, friendships or business deals.

The way you think generates success or breeds failure. The difference between a confident person and someone with poor confidence is what they think about. There are two major reasons why people have poor self-confidence: 1) Ignorance to what God thinks about them and 2) Deception concerning who they really are.

What do you think about yourself, your life, your surroundings, your work or family? Do you like yourself? Do you like the way you look? Do you like your voice? Are you willing to change to improve certain areas in your life? Do you like what God thinks about you? If your answers are negative or positive, these thoughts are responsible for your success or failure.

The Limitations of �Box Thinking�

Throughout my life in ministry, business, marketing and speaking, I did not realize it at the time, but I was a box thinker. A box thinker is a follower. A box thinker doesn't have individualistic thoughts, he or she thinks like everyone else. Box thinkers choose not to think independent of the crowd but rather clone themselves as a child, always seeking acceptance. Box thinkers never reach their full potential!

Here are four downfalls to Box Thinking:

1) If the crowd goes left, the box thinker goes left.

Box thinkers have limited vision, they cannot see past their current position in life. These people are normally the first to get fired or downsized because they bring nothing new to the table. If a box thinker is replaced, nothing is lost.

2) Box thinkers permit others to label them.

They allow people to define them by stereotypes and statistics. Sadly, box thinkers receive typecasts and measurements as truth. By allowing other people to define you, you have just given them the authority to determine how far, how high and how much you can accomplish in life. For example, if you say that it is your dream to fly airplanes for a living, but someone says you cannot because of past mistakes; by accepting their words as truth, they have just determined how high you will fly.

3) Box Thinkers relinquish the right to make decisions

Box Thinkers give up one major God-given prerogative: the authority to determine one's own destiny. Box thinkers believe in other people more than they believe in themselves. Therefore, other people make decisions for their career and in some cases, their life. Their destiny rests in the mind and hands of other people. Box thinkers always fall short of their potential.

4) Box thinkers restrict their creativity by thinking small.

Daniel Webster said, �there's always room at the top�. But box thinkers choose to think the opposite. Their lack of ambition and hope of a better life causes them to live beneath their abilities. Their limited thinking hampers their creativity.

Desperate To Get Out the Box

I realized in my own life that box thinking produces small dreams, little goals and puny ambitions. Frustrated in my employment, I needed to do something different. At the time I didn't know what I wanted to do or how to do it. (Combine these two paragraphs)My discontentment with my employment situation had evolved into total frustration. It wasn't until I broke out the box concerning my thinking that financial and entrepreneurial doors begin to swing open.

Out the Box Thinkers are unique in many ways mainly because they do not think like other people. Out of the box thinking is necessary because this type of thinking comes up with unique insights and thoughts that other people do not. Out the Box Thinkers are inventors, creators, producers, originators, authors and builders.

Out the Box Thinkers do not dream or talk like other people. They simply think Outside the Box and most people think inside the box and have found a comfort zone in the box. Out the Box Thinkers are never satisfied with the status quo. They constantly seek new levels of success. (Combine these 2 paragraphs)Life is too short to think small. Charles Schwab said, �When a man has put a limit on what he will do he will have a limit on what he can do.� If box thinking has blocked your success, here are several ways to help you break out the box to improve your thought life.

7 Ways To Think Out The Box:

1) Understand that God is able to consistently provide you with fresh concepts

God, the Creator, knows the end from the beginning. He knows the thoughts of every man and woman before the thoughts enter your mind. By studying and meditating on Scriptures, we can develop a holy thought life. Meditating on negative things create a negative thought life. Proverbs 8:12 declares, �I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions�.

2) Never stop asking questions

Out the box thinkers habitually ask questions, about everything unconcerned about how dumb the question is; because they seek understanding. Out the Box Thinkers constantly frustrate tradition with new ways of accomplishing tasks. Albert Einstein once said, �The important thing is not to stop questioning. Never lose a holy curiosity�.

3) Challenge the norm

Normal means ordinary, general, common, average. Out the Box Thinkers refuse to think in general terms. One speaker said, �If you want the unusual to happen in your life, you have to do unusual things.� Nothing in life is perfect, but if you find someone who is doing what you want to do, study them and think of ways to do it better.

4) Research other successful people and their accomplishments

The quickest way to succeed at something is find out who is doing what you want to do and study them. Out the Box Thinkers take the time to research before they act. Out the Box Thinkers believe they can excel far above the person at the top of their chosen field.

5) Come up with new possibilities that others are afraid to attempt

The initial responses to an Out the Box Thinker's ideas are �That's crazy� or �That will never happen� or �You can't do that�. Once an Out the Box Thinker hears the voices of nay-sayers, he is motivated to think of a new possibility to make it happen. Out the Box Thinkers are not foolish, but creative, artistic, enterprising and innovative people.

6) Think Independently

Out the Box Thinkers think for themselves. They will weigh other opinions, but ultimately they will either insightfully consider the opinions or take them to another level. Most out the box thinkers differ from the crowd and rarely do they follow the herd. They usually stand out as effective leaders.

7) Spend time alone in creative meditation

Out the Box Thinkers spend time alone thinking about solutions, not problems. Normally, in their cars, they are not listening to the radio but meditating on how to be better or how to improve in a particular area.