Have you ever given much “thought” with regard to what your thoughts are, where they come from or the power they have in molding and shaping your life? When we think positive thoughts, we are stronger and more effective than when we think negative thoughts. When we are positive, our brain operates at maximum efficiency.

The warrior mindset is a conscious willingness to commit to your goals regardless of how tough the setbacks may seem. Your success or failure, more often than not, depends on your warrior mindset. Anyone can start to work on a goal but few have the will, hunger, and determination to take their life to a different level.

You could say that you are going to accomplish something meaningful in your life. You could affirm that you are going to be successful at whatever you are doing or attempting to do until your face turns blue. But if you don’t posses the right mindset, you’re going to choke when or if the opportunity presents itself.

I’ve seen physically gifted fighters whose fear of losing the fight keeps them from performing at their highest level. The warrior mindset is the difference between being the gatekeeper or the champion. It’s within YOU. A commitment to yourself. You MUST harness it if you want to be good at what you do. It can literally make you, or break you.

You may very well be focus on other aspects of your life, but are you training your mind? You must focus on letting go of that fear and doubt in yourself. You have to truly believe that you have what it takes to make your dreams come true. When you have achieved that mindset, it is easy to stay in that state of mind, if you choose. But first you got to get there. Once you make that mental breakthrough, you can achieve it over and over. Then you can reach it with ease.

To get there, try these steps:

• Eliminate that negative chatter in your head. Let the negative thought pass as quickly as it came in.
• Focus on how good you are. How prepared you are to encounter any situation.
• Let your determination grow hot and bright. Burn away all doubts and fears.
• Visualize your success. Picture yourself getting that job that you have prepared so hard for. See and FEEL yourself living your goals in the NOW.
• Take the action steps required to get you to where you want to be. Know you can do it, and you will.

An accountablility group or partner can do multiple things for you. One, just like the name says, he or she can keep you accountable for the things that you have on your “To Do” list. If you say, “This is my plan, this is where I want to be in two months. Here are my short-term and long-term goals,” an accountability group can check in on you and keep you honest for your goals and dreams.

Accountability partners can also motivate you, and in turn, you can motivate them.Think of it this way: If I’m taking math and having difficulties with the subject, the most important thing for me to do is to not only get help from the teacher (my mentor), but also build a study group in the class. A great strategy would be to get the smartest people in the class, set up a study group, and meet and motivate each other to help each other out.

Let’s say you have a dream or goal that you want to share with other people in your group. They may not share that exact dream, but maybe there is a common thread running amongst you. You’re both looking to manifest something in your lives. One person might not be able to help you directly, but they might know someone who can.

You might encounter this in your everyday life regularly. Just the other day, for example, I happened to be at the shooting range. The gentleman behind the counter complimented me on my shooting, and asked where I had learned to shoot. I thanked him and explained about my experience in the military. He asked me what I currently did for a living. You see, he happened to know someone who owned a security company who was looking for consultants. He passed along the number and connecedt me to somebody, and we both expanded our networks. Each of us opened ourselves up to new opportunities or were acting on behalf of an accountability partners to help them get closer to reaching their life’s goals.

Inspired by the fresh start of the new year, many people have asked me to give them some direction on where to focus their self-development. It’s great that you want to start taking steps toward reaching your dreams, but at times, this can be overwhelming. Here are a few places you can start:

Awareness

If you want to focus on one specific area for self-development, let it be awareness. This is the foundation block upon which to build your improved life. Nothing will change around you if you can’t gain control of what’s inside your head — everything else revolves around that concept. If you’re unaware of your thoughts, and your thoughts are overwhelmingly self-defeating, you’ll project that self-defeat out into the world. When your life is going in the wrong direction, you’ll get upset with yourself, and repeat the same cycle again. Start by simply paying attention to your inner chatter. What kind of words are you using when you are thinking to yourself? Be an active listener to your inner monologue. Creating a higher level of awareness is a fundamental thing you can work on in order to improve yourself.

Procrastination

Procrastination happens to the best of us — in fact, it happens to all of us. One of the biggest enemies of procrastination is a daily routine. Structuring and prioritizing your day really helps you complete the tasks you have in front of you. Another way to beat procrastination is to have a partner — whether it be a life coach, spouse, or friend — who can keep you accountable on your to-do list for the week. This will give you the support and encouragement you need to complete whatever is on your plate. Remember, in order for you to develop yourself, you have to allow yourself to get the things done that you need to do to reach your goals.

Visualizations

Once you come into a sense of awareness, take it a step further with visualizations: See yourself already doing the things you want to do. Visualizations are a powerful force — they help condition your brain to start manifesting the picture you are painting in your mind.

Affirmations

If you want to improve yourself, you don’t want to have negative thoughts. After you become aware, you can start to filter the negative thoughts out of your consciousness and start bringing in positive affirmations. Start with phrases like, “I am,” and “I can.” Affirmations and visualizations go hand in hand by supplying your mind with both the “video” and “audio” of your intentions.