One of my favorite authors of all time is Tim Sanders. He predicted in 2002 so much of what happened in the business world with his best seller "Love is the Killer App".
Tim has got a new book out that really made me think. Many of us think a lot about the food we put in our bodies. We realize that if our bodies does not have good fuel, it can’t perform well.
Tim Sanders, in his new book, Today We Are Rich asks if we similarly think about the information that we put in our mind. This is critical because we are what we think about. How can we have the resiliency to ride the daily business roller coaster up and down if we feed our minds junk? This includes the horrors of the nightly newscasts, sitcoms and reality TV shows. What shape is our mind in after answering a barrage of emails or aimlessly surfing the web? What about the negative people, gossip and nasty attitudes that we are exposed to every day?
Tim believes that we need to go on a “mind diet” in order to radically change our attitude and therefore our level of confidence. He says that “When good stuff goes into your mind, good thoughts emerge. People who maintain purposeful mind diets of positive stimuli think healthy thoughts”.
Tim suggests for this “mind diet” we log everything we are reading, listening, watching, and people we meet. Log the source, the tone, and how much time we spent on each activity. I followed Tim’s instructions for a day to label the negative and positive tone of the information I consumed. I was astounded how much negative information I pumped into my mind and how it affected my productivity for the day.
Tim doesn’t mean that we should hide away from current news coverage or only consume spiritual materials while living on some mountain top retreat. Instead, he prescribes a steady diet of newspapers, books and other media with editorial styles that “enrich your point of view and…is relevant to your life”. Tim also suggests that we ease into the day and not check email right away. After reading Tim’s book, Today We Are Rich, I now start my day by doing two things:
1. Focusing on the single most critical business task I need to accomplish that day.
2. Read something that I am very interested in (inspirational, spiritual or instructional).
When I am able to begin my day in this manner, my confidence and productivity skyrocket for the remaining part of the day. We have what it takes to live our lives with confidence. Today We are Rich covers the principles to teach us how!
