Influential Thoughts

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

My interpretation influences my situation – Life happens…to everyone! There are the inevitable curve balls and setbacks, however, it’s not what happens to you that matters as much as how you choose to see it. Your reaction will determine whether the circumstance makes you better or bitter. The greatest gift you have is the gift of choice…You can choose to use your situation as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth – a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

My beliefs influence my behavior — We always act according to our beliefs, even when those ideas are false. If you start choosing to believe the “what-ifs” or worst case scenario, you buy into ideas that have not happened. Your body reacts in fear and your actions begin to mirror the false belief. Prevent your mind from spiraling. When you start reacting to a false belief, recognize it and ask yourself “Do I know this to be true?” (No). It’s NOT true because it has not happened yet. Re-focus your mind and ask “What is the BEST case scenario?” Find it. State it. Laser focus your thoughts on it and work from THAT scenario. You’ll begin to see things fall into place. Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct and inevitably, your outcome.

My self-talk influences my self-esteem – We constantly talk to ourselves. Do you run yourself down with your self-talk? Stop doing that: A proverb states: “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Inside you have an inner judge who is more critical than anybody you’ve ever met, she is unforgiving and lethal to your self confidence and success. How do you stop her? The easiest most effective way is to actually say “stop” out loud. This will interrupt your thought pattern abruptly. Next, refocus your self-talk with affirmations. Use postive statements. Instead of “I would like to feel at peace” or “I hope to have a better day” say “I am at peace,” or “I will have a better day.” Repeat these affirmations through out the day.

Remember, the greatest gift you have is the gift of choice. There is no cure for critical inner dialogue. Negative thoughts will always try to infiltrate your mind, but you can control them. You can choose how much power to give your thoughts. You can choose what thoughts you want to entertain. Knowing you have the choice and authority to decide what re-plays in your mind is very empowering.