NotitiesSuccess
Thibaut Meurisse
Het document bevat een samenvatting en citaten uit het boek "Success" van Thibaut Meurisse, waarin de focus ligt op persoonlijke ontwikkeling, het belang van zelfvertrouwen en de kracht van de onderbewuste geest. Het benadrukt dat succes voortkomt uit het werken aan jezelf en het aannemen van een positieve mindset. Daarnaast worden technieken besproken om beperkende overtuigingen te overwinnen en doelen te bereiken.
“Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job you will make a living, if you work hard on yourself you can make a fortune.” (Location 27)
Your Current «Reality» is Never Reality and Can Always be Change (Location 42)
A human being always acts and feels and performs in accordance with that he imagines to be true about himself and his environment. (Location 44)
Our vision of life is nothing more than a… (Location 46)
What your current mindset and way of thinking identifies as impossible could very well sound perfectly achievable for someone… (Location 47)
The reason why our subconscious mind is so powerful is because it is a mechanical goal-seeking device. It works through trial and error and will make all the adjustments needed over time until it reaches the goal it was… (Location 51)
Note: Our mind needs failure
One reason why many people fail to use the full power of their mind is simply because they forget to apply this trial and error process in order to move forward with their life. In other words, they are afraid to fail and because of that they never make the mistakes that our brain desperately needs in order to achieve our goals. Another critical reason is that they have limiting beliefs - artificial limitations existing only in their mind and created… (Location 55)
Have you ever heard someone tell you to be realistic? Or have you ever told someone to be realistic? If you analyze this expression closely you realize that it is entirely subjective. What people are telling you is simply “What you are trying to accomplish is not aligned with ‘my reality’ based on what I conceive as possible through the… (Location 61)
Our reality is in fact based on our personal interpretation of the world and what we choose to focus on constantly. Our current reality is not the result of our past experience. It is the result of our personal interpretation of past experiences in addition to… (Location 64)
Your reality is not the true reality because: You are operating under a belief system that is the result of your personal interpretation of past events. Your beliefs determine your actions and prevent you from realizing your potential. You can only grasp a tiny part… (Location 67)
Now let’s see how you can create a more empowering reality by: Becoming more optimistic Identifying your limiting… (Location 70)
How to become more optimistic Do you know what the difference between pessimistic and optimistic people… (Location 72)
Being pessimistic or being optimistic is a choice. Every day we are creating our reality by… (Location 74)
In reality, pessimism is of very little use. How does it help you improve your life? It is absolutely critical that you work on being more optimistic and have a positive outlook on life. Negative thoughts are harming your mental health and limiting your potential. They don’t help you get the life you deserve. Now, being optimistic doesn’t mean denying reality! It just means making a conscious choice to focus on the positive side of life and, while acknowledging the… (Location 76)
Actually, we have a strong bias towards negativity. We are more sensitive to unpleasant events than we are to pleasant events. In the past, it was critical for our survival that our brain notice every possible kind of danger that could threaten our life. That’s why we are so sensitive to negative events. However nowadays it’s useless 99.9% of the time. Why should you worry about a future that doesn’t exist? Why should you… (Location 82)
Studies show that the ratio between the amount of positive and negative interactions between a married couple can predict their likeliness of divorce. To ensure a healthy… (Location 86)
Jim Rohn once wisely observed that “Poor people have a big TV. Rich people have a big library.” (Location 92)
Another study demonstrated that we react more positively to advertisements for status products like luxury cars and watches when exposed to reports of death on the news. We unconsciously try to find comfort and safety by buying things. (Location 98)
TV gives you the illusion that the world is headed for disaster. (Location 109)
The truth is that you are not responsible for changing the world, you are only responsible for changing yourself. The more you work on yourself, the more you will be able to influence the world. (Location 112)
The news is way too negative and gives you a distorted view of reality. One tip: check the news weekly instead of daily in order to reduce your daily intake of negativity or read inspirational material/watch inspirational videos after reading/watching the news. (Location 118)
Start your day by reading inspirational material or watching inspirational videos Chicken Soup For The Soul by Jack Canfield is a good start. (Location 123)
Remember Zig Ziglar’s words: “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” (Location 127)
Affirmations are words you repeat to yourself every day until they reach your subconscious mind. (Location 130)
Use the present tense and not the future tense ("I am" not "I will") (Location 132)
Questioning yourself is a powerful tool because you are no longer fighting against your subconscious mind by affirming things that it doesn’t believe; you simply question your subconscious mind to see whether it misinterpreted reality. (Location 142)
2. While saying positive affirmations, visualize yourself embodying what you want to be. Your mind cannot tell the difference between something you simply imagined and an actual experience. If you want to be more confident visualize yourself being confident in the desired situation. You can imagine yourself being confident at a party or during a presentation for instance. By doing this you create new experiences. Because those experiences are interpreted as real, your subconscious mind won’t stand in your way anymore. Build a reservoir of empowering “experiences” to bolster your confidence. (Location 146)
Note: Reseevoir
Why waste your energy trying to deny reality wishing things were different? Yet this is exactly what most people do all the time and it’s absurd! Always accept reality. What is is so don’t fight it! Why deny it? In fact, reality in and of itself is neutral. It is your interpretation of it that creates your problems. You are empowering your worst enemy, stop it! Eckhart Tolle wisely advised: “Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.” (Location 155)
Note: Accept as if chosen
Have you ever hiked a mountain? Have you noticed how good your simple meal tasted after a day of hiking? (Location 173)
Start small by reframing mundane events that irritate you in your daily life. Soon you will become a master! Remember that no situation has the power to make you miserable without your consent It is not the situation that matters, it is how you choose to react to it. (Location 174)
Our reality can only exist through our thoughts and what we choose to focus on. Our problems in life are only as big as we desire them to be. A problem, no matter how big it is for you right now, was created through the thoughts you are having about it and it will continue to exist as long as you commit time to thinking about it. (Location 183)
If you were to never think again about that particular problem again, it would disappear. Why? Because your reality is always created by your own mind. (Location 185)
If you don’t think about something, for your mind it simply ceases to exist. (Location 186)
Maybe you are proud of struggling with money or having low self-esteem? Are you getting addicted to your struggles and playing the role of the victim, or are you taking full responsibility for your life? You might enjoy the role of a victim without even being aware of it. You may enjoy the temporary attention that your “problems” generate from friends or family but it’s an illusion that is keeping you mired in mediocrity. Try to catch yourself playing the victim. We all play this role at times and of course some more than others. It is time to stop playing the victim and re-empower yourself. You are the victim only in your own mind. (Location 197)
Your reality is defined by your belief system Your belief system consist of all the beliefs that make up your subjective reality. What is a belief? A belief is simply something that you accept as true, regardless of whether or not it actually is. (Location 202)
Where do your beliefs come from? Your beliefs come from the way you interpreted past events and are the result of: What you have heard (from your parents, your friends, your teachers, the media…) What you have experienced Positively: love from your parents, good results at school… Negatively: trauma (abuse, humiliation, failure…) (Location 205)
There are two ways your beliefs were created: Strong emotions Repetition (Location 209)
1. Strong emotions A shocking event in your childhood sends a strong signal to your subconscious mind that it should protect you from experiencing similar events in the future. That’s how phobias or fear of failure is created in the mind. (Location 211)
2. Repetition Repetition is the key to create new beliefs and it is also how most of your current beliefs were created and often it’s done unconsciously. (Location 213)
It is not uncommon that a limiting belief you have came from your parents who possibility inherited it from their parents who inherited from their parents. Not only are some of your beliefs not yours but they are generations old! (Location 219)
How many people suffer from a scarcity complex derived from the generation that survived the Great Depression? (Location 221)
Examine your own beliefs and behaviors and consider if they are still relevant to this age in history and to your own life. (Location 225)
Your subconscious is always doing its best to protect you. (Location 228)
Phobias are the result of traumatic past experiences. Our subconscious mind associated a strong negative emotion to a particular situation. In order for that situation to never happen again, your subconscious mind creates a mechanism that keeps you away from similar situations that could endanger you. (Location 229)
So don’t get angry at your subconscious mind but give the little guy some credit – he’s trying to protect you! Collaborate with him and work at uncovering the root causes of your disempowering beliefs or phobias. (Location 231)
Your subconscious mind is in reality way more powerful than you can even begin to imagine. It regulates all of your bodily functions without you needing to be conscious of it. In addition to that, it acts in accordance with the beliefs you consciously or unconsciously accept as true. Ultimately, it controls most your life. (Location 233)
Why does it control your life? Because your belief system creates your thoughts, those thoughts create emotions and those emotions create behaviors. That’s why profound changes are impossible without working with your subconscious mind. (Location 236)
Your subconscious mind has no critical thinking skills and has no way to tell whether what you are telling him is in your interest or not. (Location 238)
If you repeat something to your subconscious mind enough times, it will eventually believe it. That’s why you have to be extremely careful about the way you talk to yourself. (Location 239)
To overcome your limiting beliefs the first thing to do is to identify them. (Location 244)
Look at all the major areas of your life and ask yourself honestly how you have been doing. How is your financial situation? How are you relationships? What about your career? Your health? Take the areas where you are not completely satisfied and ask yourself why are you not getting the results you want? What is preventing you from achieving your goals in these areas? You are likely to have some limiting beliefs in these areas. (Location 245)
Note: Honestly
Identify your limiting beliefs I would like to…but (Location 248)
In certain cases it is necessary to dig deeper to uncover the real reason for that belief. In order to do that, you can use the following technique: Ask yourself “If that’s true, what will that mean to me?” (Location 256)
The next step you want to take is to deconstruct those beliefs little by little by realizing that they are not true. Start by checking whether your beliefs are really true all the time and in all situations. (Location 265)
Often, without being aware of it, we heavily distort reality. We look at our weaknesses and compare them to someone we know that has a lot of strengths in that specific area. (Location 267)
In reality, we have far more to be proud of than we think we do. (Location 273)
Your subconscious acquires new beliefs through repetition so here is one exercise you should do to leverage the power of your subconscious mind and change your beliefs. When you feel like you are not good enough, come up with all the reasons why you are good enough. Take a few minutes every day to remind yourself all the things you are good at (you might want to write them down). (Location 278)
Remember that whatever you choose to focus on in life, your subconscious mind will look for more of that. If you tell your subconscious mind all the things you are good at then it will start looking for more things that you are good at. It will progressively change your current perception of reality. (Location 282)
Look for information that demonstrates your beliefs are False (Location 285)
Once you have identified a disempowering belief, look for any information you can find that will show you why you are wrong. (Location 299)
Surprisingly, most people don’t take responsibility for their current situation and reject people who have what they want as outliers. They just lucky! Don’t do that. Learn everything you can from them. Find what they are doing and emulate it. (Location 301)
The basic assumption upon which you should act in your life is: if other people can do it then I can as well! (Location 304)
If there were nothing but thought in you, you wouldn’t even know you are thinking. You would be like a dreamer who doesn’t know he is dreaming. You would be as identified with every thought as the dreamer is with every image in the dream. Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth (Location 310)
Decartes wrote I think therefore I am but is this really accurate? If you have tried meditation before, you probably noticed how your mind is constantly thinking. Buddhist call our mind the monkey mind. Our thoughts are like a monkey that is relentlessly swinging through the trees. Are you aware of this voice that is always commenting on your life, and often negatively? (Location 313)
You are not your thoughts The simple truth to realize and that most people aren’t aware of is that we are not our thoughts. In reality, even today we still don’t understand where our thoughts come from. (Location 319)
One more thing you should also realize is that 90% or more of the thoughts you had today are the same ones you had yesterday. Your mind is running the same old thought patterns again and again. Needless to say that those thoughts are totally useless. (Location 327)
The bottom line is that we don’t even know what thoughts are, so why should we accept every single one of our thoughts as the truth? We shouldn’t let our thoughts determine who we are. If we constantly react to our negative self-talk sooner or later we will get depressed. (Location 329)
Your ego is created by your thoughts - all those thoughts about the past or the future create your identity. They are what you call “your personal story.” Your personal story is changing all the time though because you are constantly interpreting events that happen to you through your thinking process. (Location 334)
Actually, all your problems come from your thoughts. Test this out right now: try to be depressed without thinking. (Location 339)
We can only live in the present. Of course you know this but have you really taken the time to think about what it really means? (Location 345)
Your past does not exist anymore and thus cannot define who you really are unless you think of it in the present. (Location 348)
And when you think of the past in the present, what you do is only recreate a memory of your subjective interpretation of a limited fragment of your past reality. (Location 348)
Your future is just created through expectations. (Location 350)
Be careful that you don’t need to cling to your “personal story.” Work on progressively detaching yourself from it by focusing more on the present. Practice observing your thoughts and your emotions without identifying with them. (Location 350)
Note: Practice
Instead of being lost in your thoughts, try to be present when you wash dishes, take a shower or go for a walk. Here is what you can do to bring awareness in these moments: Become aware of the thoughts that pop up during the time you spend doing what you are doing. Don’t get caught by your thoughts. Just observe them. Become the witness of what you do. Watch every movement you are doing. Focus your attention on your body. How do you feel in your body while doing your current activity? (It helps you become more aware of your body and prevent you from thinking. You cannot think and focus your attention on your body at the same time) (Location 363)
Generally speaking, staying in touch with our negative emotions and observing them as if we were external observers is more effective than trying to repress those emotions. (Location 376)
Instead of trying to suppress your thoughts or your emotions learn to accept them. The fact that you are having a thought is the reality, but this thought doesn’t have to become your reality. (Location 382)
The more you accept your thoughts and stop trying to suppress them, the less power they will have over you. (Location 386)
Success is not something you pursue, success is something you become. Jim Rohn (Location 400)
Here is my personal definition of success: “Success is when you work on becoming the best you can become, do what you love and give your best contribution to the world. (Location 403)
Ask yourself “How can I serve people while doing what I love?” (Location 409)
As the Bible says “Give and it shall be given unto you.” (Location 410)
A true life purpose should come from a place of love not fear. (Location 422)
Rather than complaining about a problem, it is often possible to take advantage of it by seeing the meaning it brings to your life. (Location 428)
Note: Problem = meaning
Did you know that the word “enthusiasm” means “god within.” (Location 434)
If you don’t follow your passion, you won’t be able to keep moving forward after multiple failures. Only a strong “why” will allow you to keep going despite the hardships. (Location 435)
How can I better serve? How can you create more value for society? Stop thinking about what you can get from society. Think about what you want to give to society. (Location 437)
Each time you fail to take responsibility in any area of your life, you give your power away to circumstances and people around you. (Location 454)
Not taking responsibility means that you refuse to acknowledge that you have at least some control over most of the things that happen to you. (Location 455)
Taking responsibility is not always easy, because it requires that you tell yourself the truth, that you accept the fact that you may have done something wrong or that you could have done things differently. (Location 457)
Commit yourself to take full responsibility for your life even in situations where you don’t really believe you are responsible. (Location 464)
Taking responsibility never means beating yourself up or blaming yourself. That kind of attitude is likely to be counterproductive and result in self-sabotage, leading you to give up and giving you further excuses not to change and move forward. Taking responsibility is accepting the reality and realizing you have at least some power to change it. (Location 466)
Revenge is the antithesis of peace of mind and cannot bring fulfillment. (Location 474)
Forgiveness is nothing more than a declaration of love to yourself. (Location 478)
Note: Wow
Don’t live your life by default, create your life! (Location 484)
Note: Not default
Here are some areas where you should take responsibility: Accepting reality Your attitude Your happiness Your relationships Your emotions Your career Your time Saying no (Location 486)
You have to be completely honest with yourself. No real change is possible before you accept reality. Now get real with yourself but don’t make it worse than the situation actually is. (Location 490)
By refusing to deliberately choose your attitude you disempower yourself, you become a chameleon that simply reacts to your environment. (Location 500)
Note: Chameleon
Don't give your power away, choose your attitude and be the scriptwriter of your life not a chameleon reacting to life. (Location 503)
Don’t take anything personally. Realize that most people haven’t done enough personal development work to master their emotions and are still acting at a low level of consciousness. (Location 504)
You have nothing to gain by reacting. (Location 507)
Do your best to react to people who are rude the same way you would react to people who are nice. (Location 511)
“Your attitude not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”– Zig Ziglar (Location 512)
The only way we can significantly increase our happiness is by changing our thoughts and our actions. (Location 522)
Let me ask you this: Can you think about something that you were sure would make you happy once and then you finally it? Did it really increase your happiness? How many minutes did the feeling of elation last? It didn’t really transform your life as you had expected, right? (Location 525)
Ask yourself that question too: If you could achieve all your goals today, would it make you happier knowing your current mindset? (Location 533)
Goals should help you become the person you want to be rather than getting things you want to have. (Location 536)
The best way to feel more grateful is by practicing and getting into the habit of shifting your focus from what you don’t have to what you have no matter how difficult your current situation may be. (Location 539)
Remember that things that were given to you for free (your family, your friends, your brain, nature, freedom…) are far more valuable than any material things you can ever dream of acquiring. (Location 546)
Look for new things to be grateful for daily. Walk around your place, look at everything you have, touch things and think of the benefits they provide you. (Location 549)
An emotion has a very short life span. It is like a momentary ripple or wave on the surface of your Being. Eckhart Tolle, The Power Of Now, A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment (Location 575)
Happiness, sadness, stress, hopelessness and any other possible kind of emotion that you feel doesn’t actually exist out there. (Location 577)
That’s right, you are responsible! That's why many spiritual teachers stress the importance of: Living in the now (the only reality that exists) Acceptance (stop resisting and begin to fully accept reality) Being responsible for your emotions doesn't mean that you are always full of joy and can completely get rid of your negative emotions, though it is a noble ideal that you should try to pursue. By accepting responsibility for your emotions you start improving your situation. (Location 580)
If a situation or a job is really too stressful for you to deal with, you can always choose to leave. (Location 587)
A person with high self-esteem feels less need to be respected or approved of by others. (Location 594)
By the way, the Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus said "What is insulting is not the person who abuses you or hits you, but the judgment about them that they are insulting. Another person will not do you harm unless you wish it". (Location 595)
Having said that, it doesn't mean that you should never react. It is also important to speak up in a polite and non-aggressive way when needed. It is especially true if the person who is disrespecting you is someone you meet on a regular basis, at work for instance. You really don't want to feel any kind of resentment towards that person. (Location 597)
Trust your feelings and speak up to tell people how you feel when necessary. Don't insult, make sarcastic comments or try to take revenge! (Location 606)
What I personally do to deal with my anger I acknowledge that I have a feeling of anger and focus on how anger feels in my body. Focusing on my emotions allows me to dissociate from them. Then I analyze why I am feeling that emotion. (Location 607)
I transform my anger into pity and see them as weak for lacking self-control. Often, when people get angry at you, it is not personal. (Location 610)
I see myself as too important to spend any time or energy reacting to people who don't deserve it. My peace of mind is too important. (Location 612)
If I feel somewhat offended I try to understand why? If someone criticizes you and you feel offended, generally it means that there is at least an ounce of truth in their message. (Location 613)
When you accept complete responsibility for your life, you begin to view yourself as self-employed, no matter who signs your paycheck. You see yourself as the president of your own personal service corporation. You see yourself as an entrepreneur heading a company with one employee: you. Brian Tracy (Location 618)
Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Tim Ferris (Location 625)
Saying no Before accepting an invitation, or responding favorably to a request, you should always ask yourself, is it the best way for me to spend my time right now. (Location 632)
Here are 5 great reasons why you should set goals in your life: 1. It gives direction to your subconscious mind that Maxwell Maltz calls a mechanical goal-seeking device. Here is a quote from his book Psycho-cybernetics “Your automatic creative mechanism is teleological. That is, it operates in terms of goals and end results. Once you give it a definite goal to achieve, you can depend upon its automatic guidance system to take you to that goal much better than “you” ever could by conscious thought. (Location 646)
Note: Unconscious
2. It empowers you: when you set goals in all the areas of your life, you act as the creator of your life not the victim. (Location 652)
3. It contributes to building a healthy amount of self-esteem: High self-esteem seeks the challenge and stimulation of worthwhile and demanding goals. Reaching such goals nurtures good self-esteem. Low self-esteem seeks the safety of the familiar and undemanding. (Location 654)
4. It changes your present reality: “The value of goals is not in the future they describe, but the change in perception of reality they foster.” - David Allen, Getting Things Done (Location 660)
5. It improves your health: “Use goals to live longer. No medicine in the world – and your physician will bear this out – is as powerful in bringing about life as is the desire to do something.” (Location 664)
People who have truly exciting goals that give meaning to their life are healthier and can live longer. (Location 666)
The key to goal setting is for you to think on paper. Successful men and women think with a pen in their hands; unsuccessful people do not. Brian Tracy (Location 671)
The mere act of writing down your goals will instantly make them more concrete in your mind. (Location 674)
Once you take the time to write down your goals you’ll find that they start becoming part of your reality. (Location 676)
Questions that start with “How” are very powerful. They foster your imagination and are based on the assumption that whatever it is that you want to accomplish is possible. (Location 681)
Be specific Know what you want. Clarity is power. And vague goals promote vague results. Robin Sharma (Location 684)
Find a way to measure your goals because otherwise you cannot be held accountable and cannot track your results. (Location 693)
You want a goal that will push you out of your comfort zone and make you feel better once you achieve it. If the goal is too far beyond your reach then you will lose motivation and your self-esteem will suffer. Don't compare yourself to others. No matter how small the achievement, if you had to push yourself a little bit to achieve your goal it is a big success that you should celebrate. (Location 695)
I’m a big supporter of ambitious goals, but they should be backed up with massive action in order to be achievable. (Location 699)
Write all the reasons why your goal is so important When the why get stronger the how get easier. Jim Rohn (Location 700)
You have limited willpower so save it as much as possible. (Location 709)
However, be aware that your goals may change over time as you acquire new knowledge and new perspectives. If you believe your goal is likely to change, make sure that telling everyone about your actual goal won’t put too much pressure on you. (Location 718)
When talking about your goals, avoid using - I will try, I think, maybe or if it goes well. (Location 722)
Anticipate all possible ways it can go wrong and create a strategy The fastest way to succeed is to double your failure rate. Thomas Watson (Location 724)
Once I understood that failure was actually part of the process and not an anomaly it helped me significantly to achieve my goals. (Location 733)
Identify all those situations where you are at risk, think of what caused you to fail in your previous attempts and see how you can avoid repeating such situations. (Location 739)
Check your list every day to keep your goals fresh in your mind and to give a signal to your subconscious mind to focus on these specific goals (Location 746)
You might want to achieve all your goals, especially if you share them with everyone like I do but in reality you don’t have to and you won’t. (Location 747)