Imagine a mall where sales people surround and entice you with a variety of shiny objects. You buy all of them. You buy everything that is offered to you simply because it was offered.
Did you know that scenario plays out in your mind every day? And, as a consequence, you live with the emotional “debt” of buying everything.
But, are you really going to buy every single little offer the mind makes? Imagine a conversation at work that goes something like this:
“Bob thinks my decisions are not thought through and that I’m hurting the company”
“OK, bought.”
These thoughts need to stop, and here’s how you can start to free yourself from negative self-talk:
- Examine how a certain thought feels to you.
If a thought doesn’t feel good, do not buy into it. To start changing the way you live your life, you have to address the negative thoughts. This will be difficult at first, particularly because we are conditioned to “work with” or accept our own mind’s negativity. But, training yourself away from “buying” your own negativity will save you heartaches, frustrations and financial losses in the future.
- Check in with yourself at least twice per day.
Set aside five to ten minutes every day to review your day. Where have you allowed your mind to lead you into negativity? Where have you felt negative emotion? Where have you gone into “dead end” or “downward spiral” thinking patterns? Where have you been short-tempered or made unconscious decisions at work? Awareness is the first step to positive change.
- Remember that you are in control of what you choose to believe.
Find your own way to remind yourself of your creative powers throughout the workday. For some, a post-it on the computer screen will work while others may find a way to “re-program” themselves at home. Make an effort to remember what you have come to know and understand because it will have an amazing effect on your life.
Personally, I astound myself by forgetting what I have come to understand over the past decade. On a daily basis, I find myself on auto-pilot, removed from conscious awareness. But, it is equally astounding how quickly you can snap out of negativity and back into conscious living by simply remembering. The spiritual teacher Osho says that noticing our derailing thoughts is an incredible tool. You should rejoice because you are aware and out of that negative space.
This is the magic formula! What are you waiting for? Start RIGHT NOW! The freedom and bliss you will experience will knock your socks off!
Manhattan Life Coach and blogger Andres Hacker Milano specializes in helping others live their life to the fullest.
Image credit: CC by Camilo Rueda López
