Anesthesia Management: 5 negative ideas that will keep you from success

This is not about the practice of medicine but I wanted to share it with our readers.

The late Zig Ziglar provided many great insights, but perhaps one of his most useful warnings was about “stinkin’ thinkin’.” Ziglar noted that it was negative thinking that could hurt us the most as we move towards success.

Often it is the thoughts that we tell ourselves that makes the difference. The most powerful words in the world are those you tell yourself and believe.

I’ve seen people who have many of the traits needed for success, but still don’t make it. They have intelligence, drive, ambition and the ability to get along with others. A casual observer would look at them and predict this person would surely succeed, but they miss the mark somehow.

Often the key difference is that they allow themselves to fall into the trap of negative thinking in key areas.

There are many ideas that can pull you down, and here are a handful related to stinkin’ thinkin’ that you need to avoid:

1. I’m not good enough
This one is usually accompanied with some reference to beliefs that one is too young, too old, too tall, too short, doesn’t have enough education, has too much education, and other nonsense. All of these lies get in the way of achieving what you can. I love Teddy Roosevelt’s saying about this: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

2. Don’t push so hard, take it easy
When it is time to hustle, kick it into overdrive! In today’s white-hot competitive marketplace, you have to outsmart the competition or you can quickly be relegated to the scrap heap of has-beens. Know when to push, and do it fervently. You also need to know when to rest and rejuvenate so you’ll be ready to go for the next endeavor.

3. It’s not my job
In a business, everyone has to take full responsibility to satisfy customers and get the job done. You need to take responsibility for a completed result, even when you get someone else to implement the details. Your success is your job and all the little details add up to make success reality.

4. They don’t like me
This negative thinking can spiral into a dismal ending. If you think someone has negative feelings about you, a natural defense and offense reaction kicks into play. Then they perceive you acting in a negative way and they become negative towards you. Stop that silly spiral. If they don’t like you (and some will be like that), make it your job to always be professional. Think the best of people. Besides, usually they really aren’t thinking about you. They are thinking about themselves. Get over your petty feelings and get the job done. That is what business is about.

5. I’ll get to it tomorrow
Have you noticed that tomorrow has a way of constantly slipping into the future? It really never arrives. Successful people eliminate this thought, take action and get it done. I love the way W. Clement Stone, the famed insurance company millionaire, put it: “Do it now!” He used that saying as a mantra to generate action both in himself and in his staff. What can you do right now that will move you along towards your goal? Do it now.

Don’t let those stinkin’ thinkin’ hurtful thoughts imperil your success. Fight these and others diligently. Somehow, I think thatZig Ziglar would be giving us a thumbs-up when we eliminate those hurtful thoughts.