The Strangest Secret

By John Boe, Founder, John Boe International

 

In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author and Co-Founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, recorded his classic motivational record “The Strangest Secret.” “The Strangest Secret” sold over one million copies and made history in the recording industry by being honored as the first ever Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale, known as the ‘Dean of Personal Development,’ concluded that life’s ‘strangest secret’ is that we become what we think about all day long.

Your belief system, like your computer, doesn’t judge or even question what you input; it merely accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you’re bound to feel discouraged. Continuous thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear are unhealthy and often manifest in the body as stress, panic attacks and depression.

At the core of Earl’s message, he reveals the incredible power of positive self-talk, belief and expectation. What you vividly imagine and hold in your subconscious mind begins to out picture as your reality. Your belief system not only defines your reality, but it also shapes your character and determines your potential.

The Placebo Effect
The ability of the mind to cure a disease even when the medicine is known to be worthless is known as the ‘placebo effect’. This occurs in medical trials where doctors give patients sugar pills, but tell them they will cure their illness. Often it does, even though the pills contain nothing of medical benefit. The only thing of value in these medical trials is the patient’s own belief that the sugar pills will cure them. It’s the power of the patient’s belief and expectation alone that produces the improvement in his or her health.

I recently read a remarkable story about a group of cancer patients who thought they were being treated with chemotherapy, but were actually given a placebo. Before their treatment began, the patients were informed about the complications associated with undergoing chemotherapy treatment, such as fatigue and loss of hair. Amazingly, based on nothing more than their belief and expectation, nearly one third of the patients who were given the placebo reported feeling fatigued and actually experienced hair loss!

The Power of Affirmation and Positive Self-Talk
If you had access to a powerful tool that would enhance your self-esteem and allow you to reach your full potential would you use it?

A good way to create positive self-talk is through affirmations.

An affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired condition or outcome. Interestingly enough, your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined ‘mental’ experience.

When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night, Jim Carrey would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top of his lungs. “I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995.” When 1995 finally arrived, Jim was the star of the movie “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls”, for which he was paid twenty million dollars!

World-class athletes understand the value of affirmation and recognize the impact of their mental preparation on their physical performance. They use the power of positive affirmation to reduce anxiety and increase their expectation of achievement. To be of maximum benefit an affirmation must be simple, encouraging and stated in the present tense.

By repeating an affirmation over and over again it becomes embedded in the subconscious mind.

To be effective your affirmation must be stated aloud…

1. In a positive manner with the focus on what you want. When you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about yourself, counteract the negative self-talk with a positive affirmation. Start your affirmation with words like “I am…” or “I already have…”

Example: “I close sales with little or no resistance.” or “I take good care of my customers and they show their appreciation by referring their friends to me.”

2. In the present tense. Your subconscious mind works in the present tense, so avoid words such as can, will, should or could.

Example: “I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially.”

3. With strong emotion and conviction.

4. Repeatedly, I suggest you read your affirmations each morning upon awakening and again each night just before falling asleep. Close your eyes and picture the end result.

Feel the emotions associated with the affirmation.
Here are some of my favorite affirmations:

“Every day in every way I’m getting better and better!”

“Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly!”

“I love and appreciate myself just as I am!”

“I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially!”

“I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to accomplish all my desires!”

“Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my life!”

“I am relaxed and centered!”

“I feel happy and blissful!”

Do affirmations really work and can they be used to propel a person to achieve greatness? As a young boy growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay dreamed of someday becoming the heavyweight-boxing champion of the world. When working out in the gym, Clay would continuously affirm to all within earshot that he was indeed the greatest boxer of all time! While many felt he was brash and boastful, few people actually took this 89-pound youngster seriously. Mohammad Ali used his affirmation to become the undisputed heavyweight-boxing champion of the world and arguably one of the most popular and recognized sports figures of all times!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
– Anonymous

You show me a salesperson with high self-esteem, a positive attitude and a healthy work ethic and I’ll be able to predict his or her success in advance…I guarantee it.

Functional Resumes

In our posts about perfecting your resume, we mentioned the functional resume. The functional resume uses sections like Skills, Accomplishments or Training as opposed to the traditional format of chronologically listing your job history and education. If you have gaps in your job history, the functional resume is an excellent tool to draw attention to what you can offer rather than where and when you have been working. It’s also a great option if:

• You have worked on a number of projects and would like to highlight this experience.
• You have held a number of jobs and want to reduce clutter on your resume.
• You have a wealth of industry specific training, education, or skills that an employer will be looking for.

For example, a Product Development Engineer who has worked as a contractor for a few different companies might create categories like:

• Products: detailing of all the products they have developed or assisted in developing.
• Software Skills: detailing of the design programs or relevant software in which they are proficient.
• Manufacturing Skills: a list of manufacturing processes with which they have experience.
• Training and Professional Development: details of courses or training received. 

To determine which categories will be right for your functional resume, jot down some notes about your skills. Can you group them? Talk to a colleague about how you’d tell someone about your skills and experience.

Check back again for ways to augment your traditional or functional resume with a cover letter.

Explaining a Gap in Your Resume

Though searching for a new job can be tiring, it’s also an excellent opportunity to look back on the progress, achievements and challenges you have overcome in your career.

If there was a time in your work history when you were unemployed or unable to work, here are some easy ways to communicate this to employers. The goal of addressing a gap in your resume should be to assure the employer that you are a great candidate with up to date skills and a commitment to excelling in your work.

Short breaks (up to 6 months) don’t necessarily have to be explained – employers understand that it can take that much time to find a new job. If there’s a longer gap in your resume, if you were laid off for example or if you took time off for a specific reason, a single line statement in your resume or cover letter is just fine. Be as honest as you can but keep the focus on your relevant skills and accomplishments in your work history. When you are in an interview and are asked about a gap in your resume, that will be the best time to give a more detailed explanation. Again, focus on what you learned and how the conditions that kept you away from work have changed.

If you can’t fill a gap in your resume with a quick explanation, you can use these tips to make a break less obvious:

• Use years rather than months in your employment history. For example, list dates as 2002 – 2005 rather than March 2002 – April 2005.
• Include other relevant experience, like volunteer or other unpaid work in your history chronologically. Title the whole section “EXPERIENCE” rather than “WORK HISTORY”
• If your early work history is intermittent, but you have at least 10 years in a technical field or 15 years in any other field, you may choose to exclude this early intermittent work history entirely.
• If you have a gap of 2 years or more with a concise explanation (Family Care; Elder Care; Caring for a Terminally Ill Relative; Travel) address this with a line in your resume and if you wish, very briefly in your cover letter.
• If you have more than one gap of 2 years or more, you can switch to a functional resume format which categories your experience by skill set rather than chronological time.

A final note: If you are currently in your job search and expect to have a gap in your resume, make your best effort to fill some of this time with relevant training, classes or volunteering. This will show commitment to your career or industry and will reduce the chances that employers will think your skills are out of date.