Control Your Thoughts

A number of years ago I was playing golf with a friend back in the UK and as was often the case, talk turned to work. He worked for a company that I had previously worked for and had progressed up the corporate ladder faster than a frog leaving a blender manufacturers conference.

I was less than complimentary about the company involved and quite frankly was ripping them mercilessly for all my worth when suddenly I said:

“You do realize that they don’t give a damn about you or their customers, they only care about profits and growth”

He looked at me, laughed and then sad:

“That may or may not be true but I simply cannot let that thought into my head because if I did I wouldn’t be able to perform like I do now”

I didn’t get it at all at the time. In fact my respect was somewhat diminished because I saw him as somebody that was burying his head in the sand rather than facing up to his ethical and moral responsibilities.

Now when I think of that conversation I view it in a whole different light and even replay it to life coaching clients from time to time. Maybe he didn’t accept ethical and moral responsibility for a multi-billion pound business but why on earth should he?

What he did do though was accept total responsibility for the thoughts inside his head, which ones served him and which ones held him back and that is a skill that few possess

Of course he could have resigned and left the business galloping away on a high moral horse that I had lent him, or he could have stayed and tried to change things for the better from the inside. I’m glad to say he took the latter option.

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