Thoughts are Powerful

Thoughts are powerful. 

I thought I’d start with that. Not only because I’ve been meaning to write an entry for several months, and if I write it down, it will happen (some believe so); rather that if I at least write down my statement of intent, the rest will start to develop. 

The reason to write a new blog entry was meant to be for business/ seo (search engine optimization) purposes; however, I’ve been advised by my trusty co-founder/friend Christine that although my blog content is “meaty”, we (7 Summits Snacks) shouldn’t just copy-paste from this blog to the “blog for the seo” on our company website. This lead me to delineate the the two entries where the blog on the 7 Summits Snacks site is about our achievements this year (check out that entry on our website from Dec 31st); whereas, this entry stems from our forward progress to speak about the core values and beliefs I personally nurture to allow me to manifest my business as I have and will. There is overlap in theme around my mindset, but that’s about it. I’d say that this entry precedes or is a potential philosophical explanation for the company entry. 

I recognize that this opener seems a bit like “awww, do I have to?”, where I would like to justify that it’s more from the camp of “I choose to write my blog, I like to write my blog, I just feel like I haven’t had the time to write my blog (because being an entrepreneur is a time-heavy endeavour)”. Alert! Alert! Limiting beliefs identified!! Check that!

Introducing theme 2: Limiting beliefs. 

Remembering theme 1: Thoughts are powerful.

I’ve generally been a good manifester. Some see manifestation as the  spirituality of god acting: god has given one grace and opens doors. Others see it in the hairy-fairy spiritual new-age sense: stars are aligned, energies are working, good stuff happens. I sit more in the latter camp, but the essence of the two is the same. Your thoughts are powerful, you spend energy thinking about a topic or a passion (through prayer or meditation or belief or worry) and energy comes back to you in alliance with your thoughts. “Energy flows where attention goes”- Tony Robbins. A podcast I recently listened to (Oprah Super Soul: Intention) reminded me of that sentiment: The energy you put out in the world is the energy you get back in life. Set your intention!

There have been many examples of manifestation in my life, where I think of something that I want, and it tends to happen. It’s not a superfluous want or superficial wish that comes true… I still haven’t won the lottery; however, it’s a want or wish that resonates with the core of my being. I only recognized this aspect of the original thought after listening to the aforementioned podcast. And if I look back at some of these manifestations, open doors, etc, I can notice that their acquisition has been from comments that might have been in passing versus ones that have been meditative or deeply visualized. 

Be careful what you wish for! Words are powerful. I remember when I was in Brussels, knowing that I was being made redundant, so was thinking what I wanted to do in my life… I made the comment to my friends “I’d maybe like I job where I can wear my running clothes all the time” . Needless to say, the last two years I’ve been working from home staring at my closet of pretty office clothes whilst wearing any pair of lycra running leggings or sweatpants. Oh yeah, because I am now working on my own schedule as a contracting chocolate scientist- amazing! Freedom (of schedule) being the core value that resonated with the statement about wanting to wear my running clothes whenever I felt like it, and perhaps that I really like running. 

However, back to the limiting belief siren. Positive self-talk, thoughts, and beliefs are concepts that have been on my radar for quite some time now; introduced to me in my formative years as a competitive figure skater (visualise your clean performances) and reinforced by those who were/are obsessed with personal development and propelling their lives in positive directions. To some I know I come across as an eternal optimist, potentially even naïve to the sadness and misfortune in the world, but when YOU have the choice “spend your time in belief versus spending it in worry” J. Osteen in Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations, I will continue to choose to spend my energy believing in what positive actions CAN happen in this world, thus willing good energy to where my attention is focused. 

What does this have to do with limiting beliefs and business then? I come back to my title, Thoughts are Powerful because I notice negative thought patterns and self-talk in and from others. I notice when people get stuck in a loop of “we don’t have the money”, “I’m too tired/busy”, “I’m getting to the top. Full stop.”. And these statements strike me hard, likely because of experiences in my life. 

Limiting beliefs, on repeat, are only stories you tell yourself often because you are afraid to take a risk (and enter the uncharted territory- to you). They are clung on to because these limiting beliefs are well known. The certainty of the thought pattern on repeat (or the excuse), is comforting because you basically know what is going to happen… but remember, “energy flows where you attention goes”. 

Facing into the unknown, taking part in the journey, and accepting what comes takes courage, yet you can still mitigate complete disaster (maybe just a mindset problem) through scenario planning, expectation management, or sheer acceptance. “The trouble is when you are a chapter in your story, immersed in it, you can’t see how things will progress in the future. You lack perspective”  D. Franklin in Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations. If you get stuck in the worry loop, because that is the self-talk you employ when you are afraid, of course you are more likely to actually attract the worse-case or negative situation you worry about. You are not noticing, embodying, or attracting the multitude of positive options that might be possible. The course of 2021 is not likely to be dramatically different to that of 2020… all you can change is your perspective and where you focus your energy.

So queue a new year after a hard year for most. Remembering that your internal words and thoughts are powerful, why not try out belief instead of worry or excuse? Choose a positive emotion or thought pattern for your energy. Step away from what you know. Gather the perspective you need to see how your life’s story might unfold, or at least what the next door to open could be. Choose the action that you haven’t tried before.

On that note, and to correct myself: 

“I haven’t had time because being an entrepreneur is a time-heavy endeavour”

Versus

“the time and energy I put into my business will allow it to grow, so choose how I spend my time accordingly”

should set me up for a successful 2021!

And finally, voila! This entry is now published (after I set my intention).

The hard part is becoming...

“The hard part is becoming a runner. Not just a person who runs, but a runner... Somehow they had to stick with it through the transition from thinking ; “Will I run today?” to thinking; “When will I run today?” The race is inextricably intertwined with life. Family issues... “When will I run today?” Work issues... “When will I run today?” This is not like blocking out a day or weekend, and tolerating the discomfort for long enough to finish. This is taking your life and injecting a race into it with no end in sight.”

This is a quote from the great Laz Lake to the participants taking part in the Great Virtual Run Across Tennessee (GVRAT). A virtual event that Laz has instated this year to give runners something to do during these strange pandemic times. 

To some of you, Laz is the Race Director of the infamous Barkley Marathon. To those who don’t know him, another rather eccentric trail/ long distance/ ultra runner. You can catch his film The Barkely Marathons on Amazon Prime these days. 

I am personally taking part in this summer event because as a somewhat obsessed runner (and someone who is really just dipping their toe into the cultishness that running CAN be), I needed something to look forward to and motivate my butt to run with purpose. You all know I am a big fan of purpose. Quickly though as this isn't meant to be a blog about running, the GVRAT is a “1000km” point to point “race” across Tennessee. There are RATs and BATs being chased by Laz’s metaphorical buzzards to complete their chosen challenge by the end of August. The language and even the challenge itself (it’s actually 1021.68km) is all akin to the absurdity of the iconic Barkley Marathons; so when Laz created the event thinking maybe 1000 people would take part, he himself was overwhelmed by the over 18,000 entrants he received, most of whom were excited by the opportunity to actually take part in something created by this cult classic!

Moving on though, perhaps Laz is a better motivator than Race Director. This quote from early July and just over the halfway point resonated. I have identified as a “runner” rather than a “person who runs” in the past years; however, what resonated was the similarity in purpose to that of being an entrepreneur. In fact, my co-founder Christine has been known to quote to a similar sentiment:

“The thing I love the most about the entrepreneurial community is that it reminds me of the athletic community that I grew up in. The people are amazing. It’s not just about the outcome, it is that they are willing to try HARD at something that might well be impossible”- Christine Reimer, CEO Seven Summits Snacks.

So, I am an entrepreneur. 

I am an entrepreneur ?!

I AM an entrepreneur! 

I sometimes have to repeat that to myself, in that certain way you’re meant to proclaim your affirmations to make them stick. I then slightly tilt my head inquisitively and think- heck yeah I am! This is a bit of a surprise to me because I remember learning about entrepreneurs as a school-aged child thinking, “no thanks, that’s not for me”. Although, I think my Mom will also tell you that I used to hate running, too. 

Here is the bulk of Laz’s post from July 5th (with my stretch of interpretation).

Greatness: 

What they discovered was a race that was both easier and more difficult than they expected. And they discovered they had greatness in themselves that they did not know was there.

The hard part is becoming a runner (entrepreneur). Not just a person who runs (a business), but a runner (entrepreneur)… Somehow they had to stick with it through the transition from thinking ; “Will I run (my business) today?” to thinking; “When will I run (my business) today?” The race is inextricably intertwined with life. Family issues... “When will I run (my business) today?” Work issues... “When will I run (my business) today?” This is not like blocking out a day or weekend, and tolerating the discomfort for long enough to finish. This is taking your life and injecting a race (business) into it with no end in sight. 

...

Everyone of us has greatness inside. But, we have to call on it to discover it. When the race begins, the runner is the one who encounters the obstacles. They are the ones who must reach inside, for something they never knew was there.

-Gary Cantrell, aka “Laz”arus Lake, Race Director of the Barkely Marathons and GVRAT (yeah, he even gave himself a different name)

I am an entrepreneur. 

I have started my own chocolate company. 

This is real!

The race has begun! 

We, as Seven Summits Snacks, are now live and collecting pre-orders for the chocolates that we created as the power of three extremely driven women entrepreneurs through the ATB BoostR platform. Click here to buy our chocolates!

Everyday as an entrepreneur is now a hustle, and much like I decide how my life fits around running, I now also think about how running a start-up chocolate company fits within my run plans. 

Each day I am excited about the opportunity to be great in some way or another. Even if I am only just outrunning the buzzard, I’ve still pushed myself this year and at this point have run 85% of the distance I ran in all of 2019. 

Each day I am excited about the opportunity to be great in some way or another: I am selling my own chocolate bars!

Choose to be great in YOUR own way! Find a platform to enable you and surround yourself with people who are your cheerleaders and support you. You, too can be a runner… or perhaps more than the “person who…”.