William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.
Recently my 4 1/2-year-old grandson, sporting his muscles stance told us, “Someday I’m going to conquer the world.” My response, “Yes you will.” Of course while he is likely thinking superhero thoughts I’m thinking success, big success. At his tender young age it’s easy for my grandson to believe he will conquer the world he knows today (he gets plenty of support for his thinking). But I know as he grows, teachers, coaches, peers, others, this competitive world and yes, even me (although I am committed not to) will at some point plant seeds of doubt into his mind. Doubt is inevitable, but it need not be entertained, or be life altering or shattering.
The human mind is a miraculous delicate, sensitive instrument that can think any way we choose to direct it. Let me repeat this to make sure you’ve got it. The human mind is a miraculous delicate, sensitive instrument that can think any way we choose to direct it.
Regardless of circumstances and physical environment when our mind works in a certain way it can propel us forward to great success. But the same mind in the same situation and environment is equally capable of operating in a totally different manner and able to produce total failure.
In describing his thinking from the time he was very young (in second grade), Tom Monaghan says he was determined he was going to be a priest. As he relates it, he entered the seminary in 10th grade, but got kicked out—probably he thought because he was more rambunctious than most kids. The rector told him when he packed his bags at Easter to pack them for good. Monaghan went on to say that he floundered during the rest of high school and graduated last in his class. He said they weren’t even going to graduate me, but I pleaded with a nun. She said, “Well, you got good marks in the seminary, so I’ll let you graduate. But don’t ever ask me to recommend you for college.”
Tom Monaghan went on to become the founder of Domino’s Pizza. But reading his own account of his life (including the history of Domino’s Pizza) doesn’t sound like a success story—just one disaster after another. If ever a person had opportunities to doubt himself and give up, Tom Monaghan certainly had them. But Tom said, “I would dream of having things – not the good or the better, but the best – and I could visualize them so perfectly, it was like actually possessing them.
When my grandson is old enough I hope he reads this (and reads it often). At 4 1/2 you believed, “Someday I’m going to conquer the world.” The formula is simple, visualize perfectly and follow your dreams and never give up. When you do, like Tom Monaghan something special always happens.
William “Bud” Hart is a certified “Mindset” Coach, Accountability Partner and Business Consultant. Visit Hart Group, www.hartgroupma.com for more on coaching.