What a 10-Day Negative Thought Fast Can do For You.

What a 10-Day Negative Thought Fast Can do For You.

Would you like a simple way to really change your life? Instead of merely getting by, you'll find that your life can truly be exceptional when you focus on positive solutions rather than the constraints of your challenges.

This 10-Day Negative Thought Fast, originated by Emmett Fox, one of the most popular self-help authors and speakers of the early 20^th century, is an adventure you’ll reap many benefits from.

Here are the rules:

1.      If you break any of the other rules, you must start the 10 days over from the beginning. To get the full effect, you must complete 10 consecutive days. Giving up negative thoughts is a little like giving up a drug; you've got to stop using them completely, otherwise you haven't truly quit.

2.      You cannot focus on a negative thought or remain in a negative emotional state for more than five minutes. Ideally, the time should be much shorter. Five minutes should be plenty of time to recognize what's going on and put a stop to it. Remember, even one instance of lingering for more than five minutes means starting over.

3.      You must focus on solutions. When the negative thoughts start, the idea is to immediately start contemplating possible solutions. Spend your time solving your challenges instead of focusing on them.

• If you're like most people, you've probably had the same challenges for quite a while without resolution. It's time to try something else instead of dwelling on what's wrong.

This sounds deceptively easy, but you may be surprised how difficult it is to give up negativity. We tend to think that worrying helps in some way. But you've probably been worrying about a lot of things for a long time and they haven't improved.

When you're faced with a negative thought (and there will be many!), the best response is to think to yourself, "How can I solve or improve this challenge?" The point is to immediately begin focusing on solutions. When you ask a good question, you’ll receive good answers.

Over the 10 days, you’ll begin to form a habit of immediately recognizing a negative mental state and then focusing on solutions for what you feel negatively about. If you continue the process after the 10 days are completed, you’ll develop a permanent habit that will only require a minimal amount of maintenance.

You might need several attempts to complete the full 10 days. It's common to have numerous slips on day one and then a few others later in the process. Refrain from beating yourself up over it. Remember, you're focusing on solutions.

Taking Your Focus Away From A Negative Thought

What is More Important Marketing or Selling?

What is More Important Marketing or Selling?

Peter Drucker has rightly said that “the basic purpose of marketing is to make selling unnecessary”. Does it sound bizarre or absurd? Sit back tight and think again. Do you have an Apple I-phone? Did the salesman try selling the same to you? No, you went to the store fully prepared to buy it. Remember whenever Apple launches a new model of the same people queue up in front of the stores for hours and hours, just to be the privileged first few to own it. Take another example of Domino’s Pizza. Do you go the Domino’s outlet, every time you need a pizza? Certainly not, as most of the time people order their pizza online or on phone and the pizza gets delivered at your doorstep. You can find a lot of examples like this.

Now you will say, all these companies have deep pockets and spend a fortune on marketing. Correct you are, but even smaller business can have excellent marketing strategies within their small budgets. While travelling on a highway haven’t you come across big hoardings announcing “Hungry?  …… dhaba 1 Km. You see the hoarding, and since you are already hungry you stop at the food joint unfailingly. There can be n number of marketing strategies.

This is nothing else but the magic of their brilliant marketing strategies. When your marketing strategies are brilliant, more than half of the job is done and you are not required to put in more efforts in to selling, because your prospects are already more than willing to buy your product or service.

Miles to go before I sleep

Miles to go before I sleep

Famous poet Robert Frost had written the following beautiful lines which have great meaning hidden within.

These are the lines from the poem "Stopping by woods by snowy evening" by Robert Frost. A very beautiful poem in simple language but with a deeper connotation. A person is passing through a beautiful dense forest. H is fully immersed in the beauty and serenity of the forest. All of a sudden the horse, this man is riding, shakes his bells and this fellow is reminded of the long journey ahead before it’s dark. As such he can’t stop over there any long and has to make a move.

There’s a great message for everyone whether you are a student, common man or an entrepreneur. The essence of these line is that while enjoying the beauty and serenity of our surroundings, we should not be so immersed in them that we forget what is more important for us.

In other words, we should and must enjoy all the pleasant things life has to offer, but at the same time allow all these joys and pleasures to distract us from our main focus area. Moderation is required and suggested by these lines. Let’s take an example of an entrepreneur or a businessman, he comes across various things, various pleasantries which can easily become hindrances and distractions and if gets carried away by these he will lose his focus which may result in serious problem or loss in his business. Even if not so, his business growth will in any way be hampered.

Take the example of a student, he may be tempted to watch more TV, watch lots of movies, outings with friends, spending lots of time on social media and chatting with friends etc. All these things are not bad in moderation but one should not immerse himself so deep in them, that he gets distracted from his main focus area.

I read this poem in 9^th standard and was so impressed that I have not forgotten them till date. Our first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru used these lines as his motto and these lines are still written on his study table.

Friends, enjoy all the pleasantries of life but let them not be distractions.

- CA B. M. Aggarwal