I was sorting through a cart full of books at a library several years ago when a few books haphazardly stacked on the top shelf fell over. As I stacked them onto the cart, one title grabbed my attention.

“Change Your Thinking Change Your Life.”

At the time I was struggling with a perpetual feeling of darkness and low self-worth and I was looking for something that would help raise my spirits.

This self-help book by Brian Tracy ended up being exactly what the doctor ordered.

Though there was nothing uniquely revelatory in what he was teaching, his story connected and made a lasting impact.

• “You become what you think about most of the time.”
• “Whatever you believe, with conviction, becomes your reality.”
• “Any thought or action that you repeat over and over will eventually become a new habit.”
• “If there is no solution, there is no problem.”

I devoured the book, studying various sections multiple times, trying to apply some of the teachings in a way they could stick.

My vision raised, my sight became more focused, light returned and darkness slowly started fading away.

This time period started to shape the philosophy and practice I am now honored to help others with, both personally and professionally.

THE STORY WE TELL OURSELVES

Brian Tracy guided the development of my own philosophy:

“The story we most consistently tell ourselves will be the story that will most consistently come true.”

While others much wiser than I have said it much better, this combination of words is now mine.

I own them.

I’m not talking owning them in the form of a trademark. Rather, I own them because I have internalized and made them part of my very fabric of life.

I made myself a promise tell myself a better story.

Tony Robbins calls it “Watch Your TV,” meaning watch your “Transformational Vocabulary.”

“Our habitual emotional vocabulary,” Tony teaches, “shapes and controls much of our emotional experiences in life — how the labels we put upon our experience become our experience.”

Our self-talk language literally is like imprinting our brain with a huge label that literally starts defining who we think we are.

Label yourself smart, you’ll think you’re smart. Label yourself dumb, you’ll think you’re dumb.

Often when I do something I think is not very smart, I’ll often mumble under my breath, “Lester, you’re an idiot!”

Notice, I didn’t say dumb or stupid but I don’t believe idiot is any better. Or worse in this case.

Funny how that works.

AS IN LIFE SO IN BUSINESS

This concept of telling myself a better story has also shaped my professional life.

That gem of light that started with Brian Tracy has now become mine to share and teach through the focused and applied philosophy I call Gain The Red Edge.

Gain The Red Edge has a two-fold purpose: 

1. Focus and clarify our vision into a workable and strategic direction;
2. Focus and clarify our marketing brand story to better engage and connect with your customers.

The first purpose directly impacts the story you tell yourself. The second purpose directly impacts the story you tell your customers.

• The brand story we most consistently share will be that which will most consistently influence the perception of our customers.
• The business with the most consistent and clearest message in the marketplace wins in the marketplace.

I like this thought from 19th century teacher and writer Albert Pike (1809-1891):

“What we have done for ourselves alone, dies with us; what we have done for others and the world, remains and is immortal.”

To that end, I’m grateful for what Brian Tracy and others have done for me.

So shall I strive to pass it forward.

Have a great Monday! Thanks for letting me share.

Les Patterson

p.s. Take 13 minutes today to focus on changing your thinking in one key area.

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