"Take charge of your thoughts..." ~Plato





Have you ever stood in line at a Starbucks and half-listened to the conversations going on around you? Drifting in and out of the myriad of networking that takes place in a line at a place of business can take its toll on you and drive you to distraction. One time, I was so lost in what was being said and with my own thoughts or interpretation of what I heard that I completely blanked when it was my turn to place an order. It's not that I was eavesdropping - those around me were sharing with each other loud enough for the whole store to stop and listen. It's just that I like people, so I listen.

Taking control of your thoughts is one of the most difficult things a person can do. We are equipped with the capacity to multi-task, some of us can manage this better than others, some not at all. When in the course of the day, it can become relatively simple to get carried away by a distracting thought. I am not denying the virtues of daydreaming - a past time I enjoy during my morning meal - but rather dissing those thoughts that sometimes creep into play that can alter the course of your day or how you react to others or cause you to go overboard or over-think a situation.

“Thinking is the greatest torture in the world for most people.” ~unknown

Too often, office politics drive a wedge between people and productivity, additionally, office gossip can have the same affect. Allowing thoughts to get carried away or change an already established course can prove a distracting practice and perhaps even the on-set of a mini-war. So, how do you steer clear and keep the presence of mind necessary to pull off success? Keep your eye on the prize, not on your co-worker's paycheck. Keep focused to what makes you qualified to do your job, not what makes your neighbor unqualified. Know that achievement is only possible when you do control your thoughts and put into action what is compulsory.

You hear so much today about "the secret" and the "law of attraction," while some of these preachings might be true, you cannot think yourself out of debt and into fortune. Application is a key component. Work is the necessary evil. You have to stand before you run. You have to think before you act. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right?

“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” ~Goethe



by rayannethorn