STOP, RETHINK, GO
Did you know that most human beings are biologically predisposed toward negative thinking! However, the good news is that researchers BELIEVE it is possible for you to rewire your brain, promote positive thinking and cultivate an attitude of gratitude rather than marinating in anxiety and worry. LET’S SOAR!!
Why do many of us go to negative thoughts first over positive thoughts? There are a lot of theories to this question and research shows the most predominant reason is to help us avoid danger. It is a way of protecting us. By reacting more strongly to negative stimuli than positive ones, we can stay out of harm’s way and we will take fewer risks when there is a threat of a negative experience. So, what would be considered harm’s way? Embarrassment, fear of failure, people won’t like you, you won’t be successful, your dreams won’t come to pass….by going to the negative, you allow yourself to say… “See, I knew that I would not get the job.” “I knew that would happen or I knew I would fail the test.” We protect ourselves from perceived disappointments. It is a lie. Let’s debunk that lie! If someone you knew was always lying to you, you probably would not hang around them anymore….well, let’s stop hanging around those lies we speak to ourselves!
The Super Bowl is right around the corner. During this exciting game, you will see passes, tackles and touchdowns. It takes a variety of plays, players and creativity to get to the ultimate result: the most points on the board.
Just like football or any sport, it takes creativity and a “we’ve got this” mentality to win. If a team is losing, they must STOP, RETHINK and GO. Right? They must address what is not working, make changes and go back on the field and apply what they know will work. I can relate to that process. Most of my life has been a process of STOP, RETHINK and GO! What does that mean? It can mean anything you want as it applies to you. I need to STOP self-limited beliefs many times in a day or week. Then, I need to get creative and develop new thoughts or a belief system (RETHINK) and then GO in the direction of my new beliefs and thoughts. I am a huge believer in tackling self-limiting beliefs, destructive labels and thoughts.
Your negative thoughts are bad habits…just like any other bad habits you may have. The best way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. The same is with our bad thoughts and destructive labels. STOP, RETHINK, GO!
So, let’s get started…
Is fear bombarding your thoughts? Ironically, this may be telling you that you are on the right path. Lean into the fear to learn how it is limiting you….by unpacking fear, you will discover it will no longer have control over you and that you are moving in the right direction.
Do you have an anchor thought? I have shared previously the benefits of having an anchor thought(s) to keep you grounded when fear and doubt and its friends knock on your door. (For more on anchor thoughts, check out this blog: https://bit.ly/2NAWS04)
Put your auto-responder on. When I am out-of-the-office for my job, I have an “out-of-office” auto-responder to anyone who reaches out to me. Let's do this with negative thoughts and unhealthy labels. Have a prepared auto-response for it! “Everything will be okay.” “I’ve got this.”
FLIP IT / Think This NOT That. If you ever said, “this is impossible.” FLIP IT and say, “this IS possible.” Instead of “I can’t do this,” FLIP IT “I can do this and more.” Think the edifying thoughts NOT the negative.
WHAT IF. What if you lean into your next step even if you do not have all the answers or the steps mapped out? So what! I have found the more I step out, the rest of the pieces will fall into place. You can’t get on the other side of the door unless you open the door. For example, my daughter will be heading to Michigan State University in the Fall. However, the weeks leading up to finding out if she was accepted into the University, she had to start looking for an apartment, too, that was near campus. Why, because the apartments are rented several months to a year before school is in session. She had to trust the process even though there were some moving pieces (and stress). Here is the link from a recent blog on WHAT IF: https://bit.ly/2Mrl3NJ
In the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” there is a scene where Indiana has to throw some dirt to reveal a hidden bridge over a bottomless pit. The only way he can get from one side to the other is to reveal the path and walk on it. Once he threw the dirt, the path appeared, however, he still had to step on the path. At one point, he has a look on his face wondering if the path is truly there as he lifts his foot to take his first step.
I think of this scene a lot when I must trust my gut and step out, even when I do not have it all figured out! Step out my friend and find out what treasure is waiting for you!
This is a great reminder for us to put those self-limited beliefs behind us, step out in faith and trust the rest will appear.