The outcome of situations you face depends on your mindset.

Your mindset has a lot to do with what you focus on. If you have a fixed goal that you are really determined to achieve, then no matter what happens when an obstacle tries to hinder your progress, you will not be stopped. You will become unstoppable!

How can you be so certain you will not let obstacles stop you from reaching your goal? The answer is simple. If your focus is fixed on your goal you WILL find a way to achieve it.

Your mindset will follow your focus. When you focus on winning, your mind will receive the message: “Winning is my only option”. Once this message really penetrates your mind and brain there will be no stopping you.

Of course, if your mind is allowing room for possible failure then some things may well trip you up. A mindset that allows room for failure is a double mind. The book of James in the Bible, tells us that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. (James 1:5-8)

If you allow thoughts of possible failure, then obstacles may well discourage you or even stop you from achieving your goals.

Make sure your mind is focused on succeeding!

When your mindset is set on success all of your goal setting, strategy planning and action will be directed towards achieving your passion in life.

• There will be no thought of failing.
• You will stay confident that you can and will win.

If an obstacle does try to block but your mindset is set on success:

Your creativity will blossom as you seek for solutions and you will either:

Whatever strategy you choose, rest assure you WILL win because:

I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. George Patton (Never give up!)

This post is a part of the series: 7 Ways Your Focus and Your Mindset Will Affect Your Success

• If you believe that success is not for you, it is very unlikely you will succeed.On the other hand, if you believe that you CAN succeed, then you will.
• What you believe to be true is the foundation of your mindset. Mindset is what motivates you and me and me to do what we do in life.

It takes time and effort to train your mind to stay focused on the positive things in life. But it is well worth making the effort to do everything you can to learn how to focus on the things that will bring you success.

What is your definition of success?

You define your own success. You will have your own goals, passions and vision of things you want to achieve in life. Success does not necessarily mean you have to be a millionaire.

There are really two very important things that will define success for you.

1. Your main goal in life will be to achieve the deepest desire you find your heart wanting to achieve in life. This will be your main purpose for living (or your WHY as John Di Lemme so aptly teaches).
2. Once you are on the path to fulfilling your main goal, you will enjoy everything you do even when things get tough and you have to work hard.This is because you are working with a purpose. When have a real purpose for what you are doing you hardly notice any difficulties that come your way.

   Once you are doing the things you enjoy you have already reached a great measure of success in your life. You will find yourself enjoying everything you do.

Here is a suggested checklist to prepare for success!
Write down your answers to these questions in your notebook or journal:

• Have you defined your purpose in life?
• What does success mean to YOU?
• Do you have your goals written down?
• Can you visualize yourself enjoying success?
• Do you have a plan of action for each day?
• Does your plan of action include time for self development?
• Does your plan of action include activities to help train your brain for success?
• Are you surrounding yourself with people who are successful?

I am sure you could add many items to this list. I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.

You will find many posts on this site that I trust will help you to create a strong Mindset For Living.

I invite you to spend some time checking out the categories on this site that attract your interest. And above all, please always remember:

Of course this will mean that you are not completely certain that the strategy you are about to test will work for you, BUT you do know that something WILL work. You know this because you are always EXPECTING to win.

Most self made millionaires (if not all of them) will be able to tell you that they failed many times on their road to reach the position they are enjoying today. Many have even declared bankruptcy, some more than once, as they made their journey to financial freedom.

However they reached their goal because no discouragement or temporary failure could stop them. They never gave up. Their motto was: “I might have lost that battle, but I have not lost the war!”

1. The road to success is paved with risk taking.
Every time you step out to take risks, the possibility of failure is a reality. However you are a champion and not a loser. This means your focus will be on winning never on failing. The odds of winning and achieving your long term goal are always in your favor as long as you have determined to NEVER give up.

Our greatest glory is not found in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. ~ Confucius

2. You will reach success because you EXPECT to reach that goal.
It may not be immediate, but be assured you WILL arrive!

A champion:

• Has a set of GOALS written down.
  Do you have your goals written down?
  
  
• Creates a STRATEGY or plan based on research and study in his or her field. This strategy will be the pathway to reach the goals.
  Have you worked out a strategy you can follow?
  
  
• Puts his or her plan into ACTION.
  Do you have a daily action plan to follow your strategy? Are you ACTING on it?
  
  
• Always takes calculated RISKS.
  Are you ready to take the necessary risks in order to reach your goals?
  
  
• Is NOT DISCOURAGED if the first strategy does not work out. He or she simply looks for another strategy that will lead them to their goal.
  Do you get discouraged by things that don’t work out? Or do you simply look for another strategy?
  
  
• Always FOCUSES on success (expecting to win) when putting any plan and strategy into action.
  Do you really EXPECT to reach your goals?
  
  

3. Your resistance to setbacks depends on your mindset.
As we have already noted, even if a battle is lost, the war is not. Notice that we have used the word “expect” several times in this post.

This is one of the big keys – what do you EXPECT to achieve?

Your expectations are your focus and your focus creates your mindset.

So how will you react to the little things along the way that may not succeed as you planned? This depends entirely on the strength of your mindset. Train your mind to think as a champion and you WILL win the war.

And don’t forget:

This post is a part of the series: 7 Ways Your Focus and Your Mindset Will Affect Your Success

If your main focus tends towards the negative side it will be easier to give up when things get tough. However, if you are always focusing on the positive side then when things get difficult and barriers and obstacles cross your path you will be more likely to insist on finding a solution.

Success or failure? Your mindset will determine which is for you!

1. Your reaction to any obstacle that comes your way has a lot to do with your mindset.
If your focus is already set on winning then your reaction to the obstacle will be positive. This is because your mindset created by your focus is positive. If your focus tends to be a little half hearted, the obstacle has a chance of making you give up. Again this is because your mindset has no positive foundation.

2. Your resistance to setbacks will be affected by your mindset.
Setbacks and failures may come. The comment has been made by many successful men: “If you don’t fail, you probably are not doing anything at all”. The road to success is traveled on only by those who are willing to take risks. This means that some things you do will succeed while some may not. How will you react to the things that don’t succeed? This depends entirely on the strength of your mindset.

3. Your stamina to continue even when the journey becomes a long one will depend on your mindset.
The road to success is not as easy as many would have us think. Many “overnight successes” actually come after many long months or even years of laying the foundation. One way or another, your stamina for the long haul is needed. This means you will need to have a strong focus on your goal and a determination to reach it even when it does not come instantly.

4. Your ability to shut out the voices of the naysayers will also depend on your mindset.
How secure are you in your focus? Are you really sure that the goal you have chosen is YOURS? Is it really your passion? Have you really made up your mind you are going to reach it? If not, those naysayers will certainly find your insecure spots. If you have cultivated a strong mindset by keeping your focus positive, the voices of the naysayers will not be able cause you any harm.

5. Your ability to stay on course and not get distracted will greatly depend on your focus.
Are you easily distracted from your goals? There will always be some attractive new thing crossing your path. However if you chase every new offer that comes your way, you will soon lose sight of your own goals. How strong is your mindset? How strong is your focus? Are you on course? Or are you easily distracted?

6. Your willingness to step out of your comfort zone and take risks.
In order to succeed you need to reach beyond your perceived abilities. We are all very capable of doing much more than we actually try to achieve. Your “perceived abilities” are much more limited than your real abilities. In other words you are able to do much more than you think you can.

Your willingness to take these risks will also greatly be affected by your mindset.

7. The outcome of any situation you face has a lot to do your mindset.
Your mindset has a lot to do with what you focus on. If you have a fixed goal that you are determined to achieve no matter what happens then when an obstacle tries to stop you, you WILL find a way around it.

How can you be so certain you WILL win? Your focus is already set on achieving that goal. You are already determined to win so your focus is on winning. Your fixed focus has created a winning mindset.

Make sure you always focus on winning and:

He kept His eyes on the goal!

(Now this is not an article about doctrine. Here I am simply taking the example of how One Man was able to endure such extraordinary circumstances in order to reach His final goal).

What was His goal? The joy set before Him (the resurrection).

The point is that He was able to continue His course without being tripped up by the obstacle of the cross BECAUSE His eyes were firmly fixed on the finish line.

So how does this help you and me? After all we were talking about the Son of God right? Yes we were, BUT remember that although He was God, He had subjected Himself to the weakness of the human body which left Him with the same advantages and disadvantages as you and me. (You can find that in Philippians 2:8).

So here are three mindsets that the man Jesus had which kept Him from being tripped up by a very BIG obstacle. If you and I learn to develop these same mindsets, we also can run our race without being tripped up by any obstacles that may cross our path.

1. His focus was on the finish line which was the joy set before Him.
Do you have a goal in life? I am sure you have many of them. Hopefully all of these goals will lead towards one big purpose. Your main purpose in life could be something like:

• I plan on leaving a great heritage for my family.
• I plan on leaving a mark on this world in the area of family relationships (or whatever area your focus or expertise may be).
• I plan on helping to advance local foundations dedicated to the education of our children.
• I plan on ….. (you fill in the gaps).

All of your short term goals will lead towards your main life’s purpose or passion. Of course some of your short term goals may be hobby related or may seem not to have anything to do with your main purpose.

However every goal you achieve will make you a better person and so will positively affect your main purpose in life.

Every achievement brings the taste of success, and this brings confidence, enthusiasm and the knowledge that you CAN do it!

Now you have your finish line fully in your focus, no matter what obstacle may cross your path it will not trip you up. Why? Because your focus is on your goal. This object of your focus is bigger than any obstacle.

The size of any problem in life is affected by how you perceive it. This is directly related to your focus.

2. He did not allow distractions.
If you did check out Hebrews 12:2, you will find that Jesus literally despised the shame of the cross. He was not going to be distracted from His final goal by focusing on any difficulty or even humiliation on the way.

When I read these verses, I visualize the following scene. An athlete is running a race with his eye on the finish line. A wasp suddenly comes swooping down to distract him. (Who likes to be stung by a wasp).

He brushes it off as if it were just a fly. It is a simple distraction not worth taking note of because his eye is fixed on the finish line.

How big are your obstacles?
Is your focus on the problem at hand or is it fixed on your goal?

Your success in overcoming will depend on your focus.

3. His focus was fixed on reaching the finish line and receiving the prize.
Do you want to reach your prize? I am sure you do.

How can you be sure you will reach your finish line?
Keep all hindrances that may cross your path in the right perspective.

How? By making sure you have your focus fixed on your goals.

If you do this, you have a great chance of reaching your finish line and receiving your prize.