Think Different - Apple

How To Think Differently

Today I’m in a motivational mood and I want to talk about thinking differently. If you want to really rise up and achieve your hopes and dreams, it often involves changing your mindset. 

First…a little motivation from Apple’s “Think Different” campaign:

Here are my tips on how to think differently:

Einstein tongue out1. Adopt a positive point of view

The first step to thinking differently, is to be ready to think differently. You have to open yourself up to life. Try saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’ and adopt a positive point of view. Do you see the glass as half empty? If so, you need to get out of this mindset and look on the positive side. If you have a positive reaction to situations, you’ll attract positive things. I know this is easier said than done, but you do not gain ANYTHING from a negative point of view.

Here’s an example: Say you miss a flight and it means you’ll be stuck in X country for a bit longer AND you’ll have to buy a new ticket. You could sit there blaming yourself, thinking fate is conspiring against you, or you can tell yourself that fate has something better in store for you. Perhaps you’ll meet a handsome young man/woman that you wouldn’t have met had you caught that plane! What’s done is done anyway.

2. Accept responsibility

I’m really tired of the blame culture. Everywhere I go I hear blame. Blaming things on your situation or other people isn’t going to get you anywhere. Before you place blame, think about what you could have done differently. When you accept that you a responsible for your own life, then you can realise that YOU have the power to change it!

You, and only you, are responsible for your own happiness. Remember you have a choice.

3. Stop making excuses!

Do you think that the highest paid actress in Hollywood got to where she is because she just ‘got lucky’? It’s not down to luck at all. Actors and actresses often spend years and years playing minor roles and perfecting before they hit the big time.

If you want to be rich, don’t sit around expecting to win the lottery or waiting for someone to come and make you famous. I ain’t gonna happen! You have to go out there and get it! Despite what you hear, money and success comes from sheer hard work and determination. So stop making excuses and like the Nike slogan says: Just Do It.

4. Be aware of social conditioning

I want you to really take a look at your thoughts, your views and your beliefs. Do you have a certain opinion because it is your own opinion, or is this the opinion of your parents? When we are children we are like sponges and we absorb a lot from the people who raised us. So a lot of our beliefs can probably be traced back to what  we were taught as children. Unfortunately we often adopt negative attitudes from our parents and from society, and they become so engrained in our subconscious that we don’t realise it. Once you identify those negative attitudes that you have picked up from the world around you, you can then take steps to eradicate them.

5. Stop being afraid to live your life!

People often say they want to go travelling, and that they want to do what I do. They can. But they don’t. Something is holding them back. This comes down to fear.

Fear of running out of money, fear of travelling alone, fear of the unknown, fear of not being able to get a job on returning home, fear of not being able to make friends, fear of what family and friends will think, fear of being out of your depth.

In order to change your life, you have to overcome your fears. I am not a fearless person. When I travelled by myself for the first time I had lots of doubts. Every time I go away on a long trip by myself I feel some nerves. But I know that once I overcome these fears, it is so exhilarating.

Want to quit your job and travel the world? You actually have to quit-your-job-and-travel-the-world. Want that job you’ve always dreamed of? You actually have to go out there and get it.

Sometimes you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say “If I don’t do this now, I never will.” Take the plunge and say, “Today is the day I change my life.”

5 thoughts on “How To Think Differently”

  1. Awesome post!!! Something I took from a book relating to your topic, When you have FEAR your outside your comfort zone!

  2. Great post – definitely all things we should definitely keep in mind more often!

    I recently bought a book called How To Be An Explorer Of The World – it’s about staying curious and paying attention to your surroundings (all in the context of documenting your world travels), wherever you happen to be. Worth a read!

  3. This is a great post and I think we can all learn something from it. I especially like the “Stop Making Excuses” section. Hard work and determination can go a long way….success is never going to be handed over to us, but instead, we must make it happen ourselves. Just do it!

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