Release the Brakes, Part I

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #10

We will spend two days covering this principle, which addresses the issue of limiting ourselves with our thinking.

Jack begins with an explanation about what happens when we drive with the emergency brake on. Even if we give the car more gas, we don't go very fast. Many people drive through life with a psychological brake on. They may pour on the steam, striving ever harder to get ahead; but their negative thoughts hold them back.

(1) Get out of your comfort zone.
What, exactly, is our comfort zone? Jack defines it as a self-imposed prison, formed by our negative thoughts.

For example, if I constantly tell myself that I can't play the piano in front of an audience without getting nervous, I will keep myself in that place. Because the minute I get on a stage, that message will begin playing in my head, and I'll choke.

If we want to get out of our comfort zone, which you can see is really not where God wants us, then we have to change our thoughts.

(2) Don't be as dumb as an elephant.
When elephants are young, their trainers tie a thick rope around one of their hind legs and drive a sturdy stake into the ground. The elephant repeatedly tries to get away, but he soon learns that he is limited to a small area. When the elephant grows into a 5-ton adult, the trainer only needs to tie a light rope around his leg to keep him in that same amount of space. The elephant could easily charge away, but he believes that he can't.

We can shift out of our comfort zones by:

-using positive self-talk to affirm that we already have what we want;
-creating powerful new images of what we want; and
-simply changing our behavior.

In the case of the elephant, if he could say, "I am thrilled to be running free wherever I want to go," he would be able to escape his self-imposed prison. By envisioning the joys of roaming the jungle and tasting delicious plants, he would escape even more quickly. If he simply changed his behavior and gave that rope a yank, he would be surprised how easily the change would come.

We are surely smarter than elephants, so why do we remain stuck in undesirable situations?

(3) Stop re-creating the same experience over and over.
Jack points out that, like the elephant, we are never really stuck. We only think we are. Our thoughts and words keep us where we don't want to be.

Let's say that we find ourselves in an abusive marriage. The pain of our relationship is the same as the elephant's rope. Our abuser, like the elephant trainer, has taught us not to move outside of his circle of influence.

Our thoughts, based on memories of pain, cause us to see images in our heads of what we think will happen if we try to escape. We imagine ourselves alone, broke, and frightened in a place that is unknown to us. We think of eviction notices and overdue bills coming in the mail. We envision our children being ripped from our arms, screaming for us as our abuser drags them away.

These negative thoughts keep us from moving out of our abuser's circle and into a place of safety. And the more we repeat our behavior of cowering under our abuser's power, the more these thoughts are reinforced.

Then, he hurts us again and tells us we're incapable of managing our own lives. As a result, we tell ourselves, "Look, he is always right. I am a mess. I have to stay with him, because if I left, I'd be..." This leads to a downward spiral, keeping us trapped in a hopeless situation.

If we want to get out of situations like this, we must stop re-creating it with our thoughts and actions.

(4) Take your temperature.
Jack writes that no matter how much money we have, we will re-create whatever we see ourselves earning. For instance, if we earn $30,000 a year, and we win the lottery, we will spend all of our winnings so that we can get back into our comfort zone of only having $30,000 a year in income.

If we feel comfortable with $1,000 in the bank, we will make sure that we save and work extra to maintain that amount. If, however, we believe that we must have $50,000 in savings, we will work equally hard to make sure we maintain that balance.

I think we could check our psychological temperature in the same way that Jack checked his financial temp. Are we socially bankrupt, or are we rich in our relationships? Are we overdrawn emotionally or bubbling over with joy? Do our friendships bring us satisfaction, or are they draining us?

(5) Change your behavior.
Jack tells about going with his wealthy boss to go shopping. He had never spent more than $35 on a department store shirt. But on that day, he bought a $95 shirt imported from Italy. He sweated, and he felt miserably uncomfortable spending that much; but he forced himself to do it.

Jack did not want to see himself as a mediocre earner. He wore the $95 shirt often and felt so good about himself that he earned more money. Then he bought more of those Italian shirts until he felt comfortable in his new lifestyle, earning more than ever before.

If we see ourselves as trapped in an endless cycle of abuse, it's the same concept as Jack wearing only $35 shirts. God wants us to have an abundant life, and not just in the area of our finances.

Through Jeremiah, the prophet, God promised: Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise, and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.(Jer 33:9)

(6) Change your self-talk with affirmations.
Jack teaches us how to stretch our comfort zone with affirmations. We can bombard our minds with new thoughts and images of things such as a big bank account, a trim body, exciting work, interesting friends, memorable vacations, and the like. We must create positive statements that describe our goals as if they have already come true.

A positive affirmation for me would be, "I am celebrating the joy of seeing my name on the New York Times Bestsellers list."

Today's Challenge
Take a look at your self-imposed comfort zone. Are you dumb as an elephant? Are you re-creating the same chaotic or meaningless life over and over? Take your financial or psychological temperature. Are you sick because of the life you're leading? Start thinking about what you would like to change. Imagine your life in a new way. You have the power to change everything by what you think about and envision for yourself. Prepare your mind and heart for tomorrow's lesson, when we will discover how to create affirmations and apply them to our lives.