Successful people move towards what they want, not away from what they don't want.
After over 9,000 failed attempts to create a light bulb, Thomas Edison was asked by an associate how he could keep going after all his failures. Edison looked at his associate in disbelief, "I'm not failing; I'm successfully finding what doesn't work."
Focusing on what you don't want often puts the negative idea in the back of your mind. In your attempt to avoid concentrating on it, you end up thinking about it.
For example, focusing on the thought, "I don't want to fail that upcoming test" plants an image that could very well result in your failing.
Think about what is possible, what is desired. You have to say, “I am going to get an A on that test or I am going to do better than I have ever done before.”
You may not get exactly what you hoped for, but you will certainly come much closer than you would have by trying to avoid a negative outcome.
If this sounds like a mind game, it is, but many successful people have used this strategy to achieve their goals.
Try it.
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