3. Effective thoughts to cope with negative emotions: Superachievers’ thoughts are more focused on the task at hand. They refuse to let their minds drift to unpleasant events of the past. They don’t let little things bother them. If they can’t do anything about a negative situation, they don’t worry about it – and they move on with their lives. They don’t dwell on their mistakes, but they learn what they can from them and then move on to other events. If something unpleasant should happen to them, they iso- late the experience and don’t overgeneralize about all the things wrong in their lives.
4. Less superstitious thinking: Superachievers’ actions
are less handicapped by superstitious thoughts. When something good is happening to them, they don’t think it will automatically be balanced with something bad. They don’t give up hope in view of the possibility that what they hope for might not happen. When something bad hap- pens, they don’t assume more bad things are likely to fol- low. They refuse to think that their thoughts about success can actually prevent them from succeeding. Superachiev- ers don’t believe in omens – good or bad. 5. Better thought for coping with failure: Superachiev- ers don’t think they are failures if they don’t achieve their goals. If they fail, they don’t take failure very hard. Their thoughts neutralize perfectionistic impulses effectively; they don’t tell themselves, “Unless I do a perfect job, I am a failure.” Superachievers view failures as an important part of learning – and refuse to equate failure with low self- worth. Their correct thinking saves them from psychologi- cal pain. If they fail, Superachievers don’t invest too much time worrying about it, but learn from the experience and move on. As a result, they are able to take reasonable risks and maintain a high level of productivity. 6. Less categorical thinking: Superachievers don’t restrict their thinking by establishing rigid patterns. They don’t classify people as “for” or “against” them; they don’t divide others into “winners” and “losers”; they accept people for who they are as individuals. They don’t believe that, when people treat them badly, they should retaliate the same way. They are flexible in their business dealings and favor compromise over rigid decisions. They refuse to see the world as “black and white,” and don’t think there is only one right answer to every question. They allow themselves to trust others and they accept people as they are without judging them.
7. Absence of naive optimism: Superachievers think thoughts through without jumping to false conclusions. They don’t conclude from a single success experience that they will always do a good job at everything. When some- thing good happens to them, they don’t believe more good things will automatically follow. When they are loved by someone, they don’t conclude they will be able to accom- plish whatever they want to. If they do well on an important task, they don’t believe they are a total success. Super- achievers are able to see their actions and the world in a healthy, realistic perspective. They are optimists, yet realists. 8. High on optimism and planning: Superachievers think optimistically and plan purposefully. When they have to
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do unpleasant chores, they make the best of it by think- ing pleasant thoughts. They look at challenges not as things to fear, but as opportunities to test themselves and to learn. They think encouraging thoughts in the face of difficulty and easily find ways to look at the positive side of life. Superachievers get important tasks done quickly by establishing clear priorities and developing an effective action plan. Once the plan is established, they stick to it. They carefully think through future events in advance and imagine the best outcome.
9. Low levels of esoteric thinking: Superachievers don’t waste their time in unproductive thoughts or fanciful mus- ing. They don’t worry whether other people are able to read thoughts; they don’t pay too much attention to astrol- ogy; they don’t think that terrible thoughts about a person can affect that person; they don’t believe that the moon or the stars can affect people’s thinking; they ignore tales about ghosts; and have little interest in good luck charms, crystals, rabbits’ feet, flying saucers, palm readers, and fortune tellers. Superachievers think constructively and, as a result, they act constructively. Their levels of thinking determine their levels of success.
How to Think like a Superachiever The kind of thoughts that lead to success levels similar to those of the Superachievers described in this survey are predominantly shaped by the experiential mind. Although these thoughts can be understood by everyone through book learning, they can’t be translated into action skills through study – only through experiences. Since our thoughts lead us to experiences that are consistent with our thinking, the first step to new learning begins with seeking experiences that stimulate new ways of thinking and better ways of functioning.
Superachievers tend to embrace new experiences more eagerly than Average Achievers; they leave their comfort zones more willingly and, as a result, become more familiar with the process of growing than others do. They also view the anxiety or pain involved in new challenges as a small price to pay compared to the new levels of success they enjoy in return. Superachiever thinking can be learned; how- ever, the process takes time, patience, skillful mentoring, and persistence. Below are five suggestions for seeking out the kind of experiences that lead to Superachiever thinking. 1. Find role models or mentors to help you grow. Be- come more assertive in seeking advice from higher-level people than you are used to. Superachievers tend to find the best available mentors throughout all stages of life. They value their own growth too much to be deterred by fears of possible rejection. There are many more people in high places willing to give advice than there are people actively seeking advice. 2. Don’t “should” at yourself – remove such psychologi- cal bullets from your vocabulary. To practice a new way of thinking, begin by practicing a new way of talking to yourself. Superachievers develop the capacity to put their thoughts into a psychologically helpful – rather than harm- ful – perspective. For example, when faced with a negative
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