Everything you’ve ever done or said first started with a thought. It’s easy to see when you look at your material possessions. You thought about them, you wanted them, and you got them.
Same with relationships. You meet someone, you think, “I want to spend more time with this person,” and you do.
However, we rarely consider the thoughts that led to some of our more regrettable moments. Like every time you quietly allow the inner critic to diminish you, or feeling like an imposter you told yourself you weren’t good enough or didn’t belong, your thoughts shaped your actions, which in turn shaped your life in ways that you are dissatisfied with today.
Hear me when I say, your thoughts are incredibly powerful tools. And you get to choose what you think just as easily as you can choose what you eat for dinner tonight. Yes, it’s our choice what we tell ourselves. Now, if the thoughts we think are the habitual thoughts that we have practiced or that we gravitate to routinely, they are more like the ruts in the road that the car wheels keep sliding into…
So, here are 3 simple strategies you can use to manage your mind and take control of your thoughts today:
- Awareness: Notice Your Thoughts
Take a moment right now. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. As you do, notice how many thoughts just naturally bubble up. These thoughts can include things like song lyrics, our or other’s opinions, memories -good and bad, worries, things you need to do, a conversation or argument you had with someone… and that is just scratching the surface in a few seconds. Your mind is a constantly streaming thought machine. But, really notice what thoughts you thinking, and ask yourself, “Are these the thoughts I really want to be thinking?” Are they serving you? If not, here’s a strategy to manage your mind.
- Strategy: Improve Your Input
Every day you influence your thoughts by the books you read, the shows you watch, what you look at on the internet, and the conversations you have with others and yourself. Each of these affect you and your thoughts. Know that if your input is positive, inspiring and supportive, your thoughts will be as well. However, if your input is consistently negative and full of drama, gossip, noise, and negativity, your thoughts will be too. As they say in programming, “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” Be intentional about what you are feeding your thoughts with.
- Shift to Practice Gratitude
Here’s what I mean. You can certainly drown out the noise of your worried, anxious mind by consciously focusing on what’s working in your life. You can catch, interrupt and shift the direction of your thoughts. Gratitude is the key to help you shift. Here’s a short video on Brag Banks and Gratitude Lists* that can help get you started. Even if you don’t know what overall plan you want to set for your thoughts, start with gratitude and reflect on the true, positive things in your life. The rest will reveal itself.
Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, and your actions, added up, become the course of your life. If you can manage your mind, you can manage your life. For a Free Business breakthrough click this link to get on my calendar: https://letsmeet.io/carmelconnectionsinc/business-breakthrough
