Most leaders underestimate the power of their thoughts. Not in a mystical sense, but in a practical one. The human brain is designed to notice what we train it to notice. It filters out almost everything and focuses on what we label as important.

If you think negatively, you will find more negativity.

If you think positively, you will find more possibility.

You find what your mind seeks.

This became very real for me in a moment that had nothing to do with business.

I Saw My Own Negatively Thinking Reflected Back at Me

Earlier this year I walked out of a client session frustrated with myself. I replayed every moment and judged my performance harshly. I did not give myself any room to learn or grow. I went straight to the negative.

A few days later I watched my son respond the same way after making a small mistake. He looked defeated. Not because the mistake mattered, but because he believed he had failed. In that moment I realized he was doing exactly what I had modeled for him. I could see the learning and progress he was making. He could not. He only saw failure because that is what I had shown him.

Leadership teams behave the same way. They mirror the posture of the person at the top. If we allow negative thinking to drive our internal dialogue, it spreads. It shows up in our people, our culture, and our families. The opposite is also true. Leaders who speak with clarity, optimism, and calm create environments where others rise.

Your Brain Notices What You Tell It To Notice

There is real research behind this. Psychologists call it selective attention. The Reticular Activating System is the part of the brain that determines what information is allowed through the filter. It is the reason why, when you buy a certain car, you suddenly see that same car everywhere.

The world did not change.

Your attention did.

This is a reminder for leaders. If you focus on problems, you will find more problems. If you focus on opportunities, you will find more opportunities. Whatever you label as important becomes easier to see and easier to act on.

Colin Powell captured this perfectly. “Optimism is a force multiplier.”

And Wallace D. Wattles described the process in a way that still holds true. “By thought the thing you want is brought to you. By action you receive it.”

Thought sets direction. Action produces results. The combination is what creates momentum.

Why EOS Begins With Vision

Every time I take a leadership team through the V/TO I see the same reaction. The 10 Year Target feels intimidating. Revenue goals. Market position. Cultural impact. It all seems far away and slightly unrealistic. But then the team works through the 3 Year Picture and something shifts.

When we answer the question, What needs to be true by then, the path becomes clearer. The future stops feeling abstract. It becomes visible. It becomes concrete. And once everyone sees the same picture, even small differences in interpretation fade. Alignment creates confidence.

From there the 1 Year Plan, the 90 Day World, and the weekly measurables become the steps that move the vision into reality. This is the psychology behind the system. Clarity shapes attention. Attention shapes action. Action shapes outcomes.

What Changed When I Shifted My Own Thinking

After recognizing my negative loop, I made a deliberate shift. My mood changed first. I started noticing what was working instead of what was missing. I became more present. I let go of the pressure to control every outcome and trusted the process.

For me this created a healthier balance between ambition and contentment. I became clearer about what I wanted in my life, my family, my marriage, and my work. Once that clarity was in place, the positive steps were easier to see and easier to act on.

And at home I watched my kids begin to mirror a different version of me. A version who expects progress, not perfection.

That is the same responsibility we carry as leaders. Our mindset becomes our organization’s operating system. People follow the emotional tone we set.

If You Want a Better Future, Start With Better Thoughts

You get to define the future before you build it. You get to choose what your mind seeks. You get to change the story you are writing.

If you want to get more of what you want from your business, your team, and your life, start by defining it clearly. Visualize it. Write it down. Talk about it often. Then execute with discipline.

If you want help clarifying what you want from your business or designing the next chapter of your life, reach out and let’s chat. This is the work I love doing with entrepreneurial leaders who are ready to grow with intention.

I would be honored to help.

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