How to Develop a Long-term Thinking Mindset & Achieve Your Dreams

Do you ever feel like you’re only scratching the surface of your true potential? In ‘Get Smart‘, bestselling author and success expert Brian Tracy reveals the step-by-step strategies to overcome obstacles and catapult you towards your dreams. This isn’t just another self-help book. It’s a practical guide packed with proven techniques to unleash your full potential and achieve extraordinary results. Here are some of the key ideas mentioned in the book:

Key Idea No. 1: Master the Art of Thinking

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of instant gratification and quick decisions. We’re constantly bombarded with information and demands, pushing us towards a reactive, short-term mindset. But there’s a better way to make more thoughtful choices, achieve greater success, and live a more fulfilling life.

This is where the art of thinking comes in. It’s about cultivating two powerful modes of thought: long-term thinking and slow thinking.

Successful individuals tend to have a long-term perspective. They think about the future and make decisions today that will help them achieve their goals. This “time perspective” is a key factor in upward mobility, enabling individuals to make sacrifices in the present for greater rewards in the future.

Similarly, slow thinking is about taking a step back, pausing amidst the chaos of life, and truly reflecting before making any significant decisions. It’s about carefully weighing the potential consequences of our actions and strategizing for the best possible outcomes. This deliberate approach to thinking can be incredibly beneficial, especially when it comes to life-altering choices that can have a lasting impact.

While they may seem similar at first glance, “slow thinking” and “long-term thinking” are distinct concepts. Slow thinking doesn’t necessarily imply a long-term perspective. You can think slowly about a decision with immediate consequences. Long-term thinking, however, always involves considering the future. Slow thinking is a conscious and deliberate effort. Long-term thinking can be conscious, but it’s more of a mindset or approach to decision-making. Slow thinking is a specific cognitive process. Long-term thinking is a broader concept that encompasses various cognitive processes, including slow thinking.

The good news is that these thinking modes are skills you can develop. Here’s how:

Cultivating a Long-Term Mindset:

1. Envision Your Ideal Future: Imagine your life in 5, 10, or even 20 years. What do you want to achieve in your career, relationships, health, and finances?
2. Set Specific Goals: Translate your vision into concrete, measurable goals. This clarity will guide your actions and help you track your progress.
3. Make a Plan: Break down your goals into smaller, actionable steps. This will make your goals seem less daunting and more achievable.
4. Take Action: Don’t just dream about your goals; take action today, even if it’s just a small step. Consistent action is crucial for achieving long-term success.
5. Practice Self-Discipline: Delaying gratification is essential for long-term success. Be willing to sacrifice short-term pleasures for greater rewards in the future.
6. Be Patient and Persistent: Long-term goals take time and effort to achieve. Don’t get discouraged by setbacks or slow progress. Stay focused on your vision and keep moving forward.

Cultivating Slow Thinking:

• Practice Solitude: By taking time each day to disconnect from the digital world and simply be alone with our thoughts, we can create space for reflection and deeper thinking. During these moments of solitude, we can engage in activities that promote slow thinking, such as meditation, journaling, or simply spending time in nature.
• GOSPA Model: The GOSPA model, which stands for Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Priorities, and Actions, provides a structured framework for thinking through our goals and objectives, developing strategies to achieve them, prioritizing our actions, and taking the necessary steps to make things happen. The GOSPA model helps us break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, making it easier to stay focused and motivated.
• Delay Gratification: By learning to resist the urge to satisfy our immediate desires, we can develop the discipline and patience required for slow thinking. This could involve setting small goals for ourselves, such as waiting a certain amount of time before checking our phones or indulging in a treat. By gradually increasing the delay, we can strengthen our ability to resist impulses and make more conscious choices.

In a world that often prioritizes instant gratification, long-term thinking is a rebellious act. It’s a commitment to your future self, a declaration that you’re not just living for today, but for the dreams that lie beyond the horizon.

Key Idea No. 2: The Importance of Goals

In the intricate journey of life, goals act as our compass and guiding stars, transforming our existence into a purposeful pursuit. They provide us with direction, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment. Without goals, we’re like ships adrift, vulnerable to the ever-changing tides of life.

Think of any successful individual, and you’ll find a person driven by clear, well-defined goals. Whether it’s an athlete aiming for the Olympics, an entrepreneur building a business empire, or an artist striving for creative excellence, goals pave the path to success.

Setting effective goals is not merely about wishing for things to happen; it’s about creating a clear plan and taking decisive action. Here’s a simple yet powerful process to guide you:

• Define Your Goals Clearly: The first step is to identify exactly what you want to achieve. This may seem obvious, but many people never take the time to truly define their goals, leaving them vague and elusive.
• Write Down Your Goals: The next step is to write down your goals, transforming them from short-lived thoughts into tangible targets. This act of writing reinforces your commitment and signals your subconscious mind to take action.
• Set Deadlines: Deadlines create urgency, ensuring your goals don’t drift into the indefinite future. Deadlines serve as a forcing system, compelling you to take decisive action and make steady progress toward your desired outcomes.
• Break Down Your Goals: Breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable steps is essential for maintaining momentum and avoiding overwhelm. Each small step, though seemingly insignificant, contributes to your overall progress, creating a sense of accomplishment and reinforcing your commitment to the larger goal.
• Organize Your Steps: Once you’ve broken down your goals into smaller steps, it’s time to organize them into a clear, actionable plan. This plan will serve as your roadmap, guiding you through the various tasks and milestones required to achieve your goals.
• Take Action: The final and most crucial step is to take action on your plan. Without action, even the most well-crafted goals will remain mere aspirations. Do something every day, no matter how small, to move you closer to your goals.

Goals are the foundation of personal and professional success. They transform dreams into actionable plans and provide the direction needed to navigate life’s uncertainties. By setting clear, achievable goals and committing to them, you take control of your future, paving the way for a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Key Idea No. 3: The Power of Positive Thinking

In our bustling digital age, negativity often hides in the shadows of social media and the pressures of modern life. Cultivating a positive mindset becomes essential for navigating these challenges. Imagine taking control of your emotions, where negativity is effortlessly dispelled by positivity. This isn’t a utopian fantasy, but an attainable reality. By understanding negativity’s origins and employing effective strategies to conquer it, you can transform your life.

Negativity often stems from a cycle of blame – directed at ourselves, others, or external circumstances. This mindset breeds self-doubt, frustration, and anger, trapping us in a vortex of pessimism. Here are few steps to break the negative thinking pattern:

• Accept Responsibility: Taking responsibility doesn’t mean burdening yourself with guilt or blame. Instead, it’s about acknowledging your power to choose how you respond to challenges. By shifting your perspective, you begin to see that you’re not a victim of circumstances but an active participant in shaping your life.
• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is another key to unlocking positivity. Holding onto resentment and anger is akin to carrying unnecessary baggage – it weighs you down without serving any purpose. Forgiveness allows you to let go of the pain inflicted by past experiences, not for the benefit of others, but for your peace of mind. Forgiveness brings healing, paving the way for resilience and renewed optimism.
• Gratitude & Positivity: Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is transformative. It’s about actively seeking the silver linings in every cloud, no matter how dark. Gratitude shifts your focus from what’s lacking to the abundance around you – be it supportive relationships, personal achievements, or even small daily joys. This doesn’t mean ignoring life’s challenges but acknowledging that there’s light even in the darkest moments. By choosing to focus on positivity, you empower yourself to navigate life’s obstacles with strength and grace.
• Let Go of the Past: The past, with all its mistakes and regrets, can anchor you in negativity. But clinging to it only prevents progress. The key to positivity lies in letting go – accepting that the past is unchangeable and embracing the present moment. Each day offers a fresh start, a chance to rewrite your narrative and move forward with hope and purpose. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting but learning and growing from past experiences.

The journey towards positivity is not always easy. It requires conscious effort, unwavering commitment, and a willingness to challenge our ingrained patterns of thinking. But the rewards are immeasurable.

By cultivating a positive mindset, we transform not only our inner world but also our outer reality. We attract positive experiences, build stronger relationships, and achieve greater success in all areas of our lives. We become beacons of light, radiating joy, hope, and inspiration to those around us.

Key Idea No. 4: Mechanical Thinking vs. Creative Thinking

We live in a world that often prioritizes logic and efficiency. It’s easy to get caught up in the routine of “mechanical thinking” – approaching problems with a rigid, by-the-book mindset. But what if we could break free from these mental chains and unleash the creative genius within us?

Creative thinking is not just for artists or musicians; it’s a superpower that can help us succeed in all areas of life. It’s about looking at challenges from different angles, asking “what if” questions, and coming up with innovative solutions that others might miss.

Think of it like building with LEGOs. You could follow the instructions and end up with the same spaceship everyone else has, or you could let your imagination soar and create something entirely unique. That’s the power of creative thinking – it allows us to build new worlds, both literally and figuratively.

Creative thinking helps you, solve complex problems, adapt to change, boost your career, and live a more fulfilling life. But how can we tap into this power? It starts with recognizing that we all have the potential for genius. We’re born with an innate curiosity and a desire to explore, but sometimes these qualities get buried under layers of self-doubt and fear of failure.

The good news is that we can reclaim our creative birthright by adopting a few key habits. First, we need to cultivate an open mind, approaching problems with a childlike sense of wonder and a willingness to consider different perspectives.

Second, we need to be thorough in our analysis, gathering as much information as possible before jumping to conclusions. This means asking questions, challenging assumptions, and being open to the possibility of being wrong.

Third, we need to adopt a systematic approach to problem-solving, breaking down challenges into smaller, more manageable steps. This could involve using checklists, setting deadlines, or seeking feedback from others.

One of the most powerful tools in our creative arsenal is the simple question, “What if?” This question has the power to shatter the barriers of limited thinking and open up a world of possibilities.

Imagine the Wright brothers asking, “What if we could build a machine that could fly?” or Steve Jobs asking, “What if we could put a thousand songs in your pocket?” These “what if” questions sparked innovations that changed the course of history.

But creative thinking is not just about coming up with big ideas; it’s also about finding new and better ways to tackle everyday challenges. Whether we’re trying to solve a problem at work, navigate a difficult relationship, or simply figure out what to cook for dinner, a creative mindset can help us find more effective and fulfilling solutions.

One of the biggest obstacles to creative thinking is our tendency to focus on problems rather than solutions. When we dwell on what’s wrong, we get stuck in a negative spiral that drains our energy and stifles our creativity.

Instead, we need to train ourselves to look for solutions, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. This means asking ourselves, “What can I do to improve this situation?” rather than “Who’s to blame for this mess?”

Another challenge to creative thinking is the constant bombardment of distractions in our modern world. With our phones buzzing, emails pinging, and social media feeds endlessly scrolling, it can be difficult to find the focus and concentration we need to tap into our creative potential.

To overcome this, we need to create space for quiet reflection and deep work. This might mean turning off notifications, setting aside dedicated time for creative pursuits, or simply practicing mindfulness and being present in the moment.

Finally, we need to embrace failure as a natural part of the creative process. Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Every mistake, every setback, is an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s through our failures that we gain the resilience and wisdom we need to achieve our goals.

So, let’s not be afraid to experiment, to take risks, and to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Let’s cultivate our curiosity, embrace our inner child, and ask “what if” with fearless abandon.

Key Idea No. 5: Millionaire Mindset

The journey to wealth creation is not paved with luck or privilege. It’s a path carved with the chisel of mindset and the hammer of habits. It’s about adopting the perspectives and practices of those who have already achieved financial success and understanding that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve financial abundance by cultivating a wealthy mindset.

The habits you cultivate play a pivotal role in shaping your financial destiny. Successful individuals are often distinguished by their disciplined work ethic, goal-oriented approach, commitment to continuous learning, willingness to take calculated risks, and dedication to networking. These habits are not merely coincidental; they are the pillars upon which financial success is built.

• Working Hard and Smart: Millionaires are renowned for their self-discipline and willingness to put in the necessary effort to achieve their goals. But it’s not just about working hard; it’s also about working smart. This involves prioritizing tasks, focusing on the most valuable use of your time, and delegating or eliminating less important tasks. It’s about maximizing your productivity and efficiency.
• Being Goal-Oriented: Wealthy individuals set clear goals, establish deadlines, and meticulously track their progress. They have a major definite purpose, a big goal that they constantly think about and work towards. This focused approach provides direction and motivation, propelling them towards their financial objectives.
• Continuous Learning: Continuous learning is the fuel for growth and success. Wealthy individuals are lifelong learners, constantly seeking new knowledge and insights. They read, listen, and learn new things every day, understanding that knowledge is power and that staying ahead of the curve is essential in the ever-evolving world of finance.
• Taking Calculated Risks: While they don’t gamble recklessly, successful individuals are willing to step outside their comfort zones and take calculated risks to achieve their financial goals. They do their research, gather information, and carefully assess potential risks before making a move.
• Networking: Building strong relationships and expanding your circle of influence can open doors to opportunities and collaborations. Wealthy individuals actively network, seeking to connect with people who can support and inspire them on their journey to success.

Wealth creation is not merely a matter of luck or circumstance; it’s a journey driven by mindset and habits. Anyone can achieve financial success by adopting the principles and practices of wealthy individuals. Start today, and never stop believing in your ability to create a wealthy future.

So, you’ve got the smarts, but smarts alone won’t unlock your dream life or financial freedom. Brian Tracy’s ‘32 Unbreakable Laws of Money and Success‘ holds the key to turning your knowledge into real-world results. Click here to dive into the strategies of self-made millionaires and start building the future you deserve.