Marci Shimoff, in her book Happy for No Reason, has an entire chapter devoted to the idea that we cannot believe every thought that comes into our head. She says science has found that 80% of our thoughts are negative and repetitive.
Now if you had a friend who was negative and repetitive 80% of the time, how long would you continue hanging around with them? Not long, I’m sure.
Yet somehow, we do give credence to any and every thought that comes into our heads, largely because we don’t stop to question them or examine them against the facts.
It’s harmful, and it’s discouraging, and we need to stop this right away.
If only it were that easy. ☹ But there is one simple thing we can do: pay more attention to those random thoughts. Discover which ones are negative and repetitive and pull them out to examine them. Are they true? What’s the evidence?
I’m betting most, if not all, of them will not stand up to this kind of scrutiny. And just like someone who tells you something you later discover to be a lie, you can give them a little less attention. You can even ignore them…plug your ears and start singing to yourself so you don’t even have to hear them.
Try this ONE thing
Just for today, notice your thoughts. When you think something hurtful, stop and analyse it for merit. When you discover it is not based in reality, thank it for coming and send it on its way. You can, and must, talk back to those thoughts that do not serve you.
Want to try this for yourself? Let me be your coach, your mentor, your cheerleader; you will be amazed at the results! Click here to learn more and contact me for a free call to discover how I can help.
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