Sometimes, our thoughts are occupied with minutiae. We’re walking to the car and obsessing about a comment that someone offhandedly said to us, that could be taken in a negative way. (Why did she say that?!) Or we’re trying to fall asleep and we keep replaying our to-do list for the next day, over and over, as if that is going to help us to be more efficient when we start our list of errands. Whenever we’re power-thinking about things that aren’t going to help us in any way, we’re experiencing huge brain drain, energy drain, and what’s worse, we’re missing out on an opportunity to either experience a quiet, rejuvenating mind, a grateful thought, or a productive thought.
Do you choose to have unproductive, anxious thoughts? Probably not. Can you choose to have positive, helpful thoughts? Most definitely.
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| There is always a positive outlook inside you, just waiting to be chosen. |
It seems odd to think that sometimes we are not in control of our mind. We do have the ability to think about certain things when we want to, such as studying for a test or planning a vacation. But we often have thoughts that we don’t plan on having, thoughts that we didn’t tell our brain to think about. And many of those thoughts are pesky thoughts, depressing thoughts, or thoughts that are harmful to us, focusing on negativity. “I’m not attractive,” “My boss isn’t happy with my work,” or “I will never have enough money” are examples of these harmful thoughts that we don’t choose.
The trouble is, these negative thoughts aren’t harmless. They have real consequences. After continuously having the same pesky negative thought running through our head, it actually becomes true. How does that work? Well, when we keep thinking something, our brain starts to believe it to be true, and our actions mirror that belief, and then others pick up on those cues and start to believe it as well. For example, a friend of mine has average math skills, but for some reason he thinks he is horrible at math. So, whenever a simple equation presents itself, like working out how to split the brunch bill, which he could easily work out in his head with a bit of patience, he panics and freezes up because of his negative belief about himself, and people around him assume he is bad at math. It’s basically the idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
The good thing is, with some effort we can start to choose positive thoughts and discard the negative ones that are holding us back. We can become the person we’ve always wanted to be, by realizing that we already are that person. All it takes is a gentle choice to see ourselves in a positive light, and then the self-fulfilling prophecy will do its magic on us in a positive way! You start to believe you're attractive? Others will start to find you more attractive. You start to believe you're doing an awesome job at work? Your boss and colleagues will start to notice and comment on your great attitude and productivity at work.
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| Bask in the warmth of your own self love! |
Choosing positivity takes a lot of practice, but the more we practice it, the more it will start to become second nature. As we experience more loving, positive thoughts, we will start to notice a breaking down of tension in our bodies. That tight jaw or stiff neck might start to ease. We may fall asleep more quickly and sleep more restfully. We might experience other physiological phenomena, such as lowered blood pressure or skin conditions clearing up. And best of all, we'll find ourselves sneaking little smiles to ourselves throughout the day, thinking, “Man! I’m having a good day today,” or, “I’m so lucky to have ___ and ____ in my life.” It will start to be more fun to be in our own company. And each of these kinds of thoughts give us inspiration to go after our dreams and to spread love and light to the people around us.
To help with getting started on the positivity path, I’ve recorded a short guided practice for turning negative thoughts around and allowing positive thoughts to open the door to a more peaceful, confident, abundant life. You can find this YouTube video at the beginning of this post - "Positive Thoughts with Jasmine Granas."
If you do try it out, let me know in the comments what kinds of positive thoughts you are coming up with, and how it feels!
