Success isn't something that just happens. Successful people envision the future they want and will it to happen. They don't think about how bleak the future looks, but how bright it will be because of their ideas and actions. Where most see failure, they see a multitude of possibilities. This works on grand scales ("How can we build a self-driving car" or "Where do I want to be in 5 years with my professional life?") and on smaller accomplishments ("What will happen if I take on that new project at work?").
To put this idea into practice for our own life, let's look at a common anxiety inducing fear such as flying to see how our thoughts can affect outcomes. For people with anxiety disorder, the anxiety often begins way before even boarding the plane, and it's triggered by negative thoughts. Sufferers tend to think about any number of bad outcomes and become fearful about their own lack of control and inability to manage their anxiety. The key to overcoming this trigger is to replace the negative thoughts with their positive counterparts. Instead of thinking about what you will do if you become panicked on the flight, think about all the flights in which you have successfully managed a panic attack. The power of suggestion is strong. Just as you can talk yourself into anxiety, you can use your inner voice to help you be successful, too!
You may not be fearful of flying, but you can probably find many examples in your life where negative thoughts about your own abilities filled you with doubt and affected how you managed a situation. Thomas Edison didn't think about how many failed attempts it was going to take him before finding a successful solution. He envisioned a future of houses filled with electric light and relentlessly pursued that vision. Visualize your own successes...see them playing out to wonderful outcomes...and tell yourself, "You will!"
