My mind is my worst enemy! And over and over again this is proven to me. As grateful as I am to have an intelligent mind, I wish the section that contains my thoughts had an on/off switch. I over analyze people and situations all too often. I think way too much and build “factual” worst case scenarios that when brought to light couldn’t be further from the truth. And I’m good at keeping these “factual” scenarios to myself rather than seeking the truth. I recently festered over something for nearly two months all the while pulling myself away from a connection, I value more than words can describe. I nearly ruined what we share over something that in the end was laughable.
The ego can be our greatest asset while also our biggest hinderance. Having determination is a great quality to have and will bring you great success. But allowing your ego to run away with false or negative thoughts can cause your demise. You can allow your mind to run the show, or you can take control and stop the horror movie before the all too obvious ending starts developing. Our minds love to think they are in charge. But the truth is, they are only in charge if we allow them to be. We are in charge! Allowing our minds to analyze, judge, criticize, create scenarios…and the list continues…takes us further from the peaceful flow our lives are meant to follow.
Negative thoughts take up prime real estate. Get rid of them! Make space for new, clear, beautiful, positive thoughts. And only allow room for those thoughts to grow. Picture your mind like a garden – pull the weeds (identify your negative thoughts) and tend to the flowers (nurture your positive thoughts). The negative thoughts are powerful and can suffocate the positive ones if you aren’t aware of them. And just like flowers need sunlight to grow, positive thoughts need nourished to grow and flourish too. Don’t allow the weeds to suffocate the beauty of your garden’s potential.
The potential and beauty of your mind is endless when used positively. And the tool to use to tap into this endless, beautiful potential is your imagination. Living from your imagined end state is the fastest way to keep your ego out of the way. Ignore your current situation. Anything your mind creates doesn’t matter anyways. The only thing that is real is what you are living. And always remember that if you can dream it, you can create it! This is the surest way to keep your mind from hindering all you have imagined.
Realizing your mind doesn’t matter takes practice and patience with yourself. It takes becoming self-aware enough to even realize you are creating a story that isn’t real. Noticing the negative thoughts one by one and slowly replacing them for positive ones. For example, every time you look in the mirror and criticize a part of your body, recognize what you are doing and quickly shift your thought pattern to focus on a part of your body that you do love. Maybe you don’t like the shape of your arms, but you do admire the color of your eyes. So rather than say, “I wish my arms were thinner” (insert whatever adjective you please), look at yourself and say, “Damn, my eyes are stunning!” This may seem small and pointless, but I promise that after practicing this for some time, you will begin to change the thought pattern and you’ll notice the stories created in your mind dissipate as a result. Because they aren’t real!
I am nowhere near as self-aware as I strive to be, but I am getting better one day at a time. I have taken the time and found the resources to invest in myself. I have learned to think differently; to get out of my own damn way and make room to allow only positive thoughts to grow and take shape. This has without hesitation been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And if you ask me today on how I am doing, I’d say I’m failing miserably. But I try each day to be better than I was the day before, so I guess that means I am actually winning!
Imagine only the beauty (because the rest doesn’t matter)!
Real Life Talk 