I am reading “The Art of Impossible” by Steven Kotler right now. The book is about the ways to achieve your peak performance. So far I like it. The chapter I’m at currently is on grit which is an intersection of perseverance and passion. When you are passionate about a particular long-term goal or end state and demonstrate persistence on achieving it, this can be defined as grit.

But today’s piece of writing won’t be about grit. It deals with the power of positive thinking. In the chapter Kotler indicates that there are 6 types of grit all of which should be in line for you to accomplish the Impossible. One of these gritty traits is the grit to control your thoughts. Because in your way to achieve peak performance, to do great things, to make impossible things possible, you will certainly experience hardships, mistakes and failures. There will be many times when you have doubts about your skills or you are disappointed about your progress. That’s totally normal, I would even say it’s completely human. But beware that when not controlled, these negative emotions can and will derail you.

And this is where grit to control your thoughts enters the Art of Impossible. Here Kotler shares a dark side of many high achievers that is usually not mentioned, namely that though these individuals do exactly what they love, they begin to hate their lives. Every routine quickly spirals downwards. That’s why controlling your thoughts by bringing positive thinking into your life is an issue of vital importance.

There are three ways of improving your mental hygiene - positive self-talk, gratitude, and mindfulness. Positive self-talk is where the grit to control your thoughts begins. Michael Gervais, one of the leading high-performance psychologists, says that, “There are only two kinds of thoughts”. Negative thoughts restrict us, they constrict our space. Positive thoughts expand us. In his words, “Positive self-talk is about choosing those thoughts that provide a little more space”.

What is constricting your thoughts? Something like these lines of thoughts: “This is so annoying. I cannot tolerate it anymore. Why my life sucks?” They reduce our abilities. “I decided to be here. It was all about me. Now I’m sure that I will manage the problem and rise over this issue”. These are positive thoughts. That is a positive self-talk.