It all starts with your THOUGHTS!
You have likely heard this before… but do you believe it?
Your thoughts do NOT control you!
YOU can be in complete control of your own thoughts!
It may be hard for you to believe, if you are in the habit of letting your thoughts run wild inside your head.
And you might even say “I've TRIED to stop thinking about something, but I can't just turn it off – like, as if there was an on/off SWITCH or something!”
This is because you are ‘thinking' (and likely also talking) about the thing that you want to STOP ‘thinking' about! That's why it doesn't work for you! ;D
Here's a simple experiment to prove this point.
Think of something in your life when you were really sad… maybe the death of a loved one, someone who was really close to you.
Close your eyes and go back in time. Put yourself right in that situation. Really FEEL it.
Now, think of the happiest time in your life! Put yourself back in that situation. Envision yourself right there, and smile, and FEEL it! Stay here for a few minutes!
What you have just done is completely controlled your thoughts! YOU brought up those memories and feelings, and your mind did not wander back to your usual way of thinking because YOU are able to control your thoughts better than you might have realized you could!
You can learn to do this more often! Practice it…
The fact is, although your thoughts may jump around quickly all over the place,
you actually cannot have two thoughts at the same time!
YOU get to decide what you want to think about!
And when you first start doing this, it seems like a lot of work to train your brain, and “think about your thinking”.
But as you do it more often it gets easier and easier!
For a useful and practical exercise…
Is there something that really ANNOYS you in your life right now? Crazy Drivers? Someone at work?
Here is your chance to CHOOSE your thoughts and your reactions to this situation!
Your mission is to purposely think of a different way of THINKING about it…
If a ‘crazy driver' cuts you off in traffic, you can CHOOSE to take a deep breath, smile, and just objectively think, “Oh, that guy is in a hurry. Maybe he is late for work … ”
Take an unemotional, objective, observational approach. (think “Hmmm, That's interesting…”) Maybe he didn't notice you there…? Maybe his mind is on something pressing….?
Instead of becoming angry or frustrated, think of possible reasons WHY he is late for work. Maybe his daughter is really sick and he was up all night in the hospital and when he finally got home to bed he was exhausted and ended up sleeping in.
Maybe he has an important presentation at work today, he's super nervous about it, and was trying to cram in some more prep time and ended up getting out the door later than he usually does.
(Creative thinking is actually good for your brain!)
Think about times when YOU were late because something unexpected came up…
It is super FUN to think of different scenarios, and this will get your mind off of thinking that:
A) the guy is a jerk! and
B) it's a slight against YOU when he cuts you off!
Because neither of those are likely true!
So, that's your mission!
Think about your THINKING!
And DECIDE to choose a better way!
Choose your thoughts — and your reactions!
P.S. “Thinking about your Thinking” is one of the Core concepts in our “Breakthroughs to Self-Confidence” online course! We go into great depth about how you can gain control of your thoughts and change them to become positive and empowering!
If this is something that you are interested in, and can see how this will be a huge benefit in your life… check out the course here!
