Trevor Moawad

No matter where I work, the same truth keeps emerging. Neutral thinking is the key to unlocking a set of behaviors that can turn also-rans into champions and champions into legends.

A few years into our time working together, I showed Fred [Taylor] a quote that really resonated with him. It was from Norman Vincent Peale. Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking, but he could think neutrally with the best of them: ‘Give every bit of yourself. Hold nothing back. Life cannot deny itself to the person who gives life his all.’

During that 2015 conversation, I asked Vince [Carter] a question: Is choice an illusion? Of course, he said. There was no way he’d still be in the NBA in his late thirties if he’d done everything he wanted to do. He did what was demanded. ‘So it takes what it takes?’ I asked. ‘Exactly,’ he said.

No matter what situation you find yourself in, there is almost always a behavior you can easily identify that, if you eliminate it, will set you on a better path.

We all have a set of behaviors that will make us successful. Whether or not we live them is the real question I hope you’re asking yourself right now.

Attitude is contagious. The right attitudes can be particularly contagious. The best teams, organizations, units, and even countries are led by people who have this ability to influence. To inspire. These are people we can’t help but want to emulate.

But think about the things you can stop doing right now—today. Think about putting a muzzle on negative expression for the next twenty-four hours. Negative thoughts can cross your mind. They will. But for one full day forbid yourself from verbalizing them. Witness the difference that makes in your relationships, your mental state, your outcomes. You’ll be amazed.

It’s what you do, not how you feel, that gets things done. We can do our way into feeling the way we need to. It’s hard to feel our way into achieving a damn thing.