Then have you beaten yourself up for thinking that way?
I read an interesting quote recently:
“Learn to keep the door shut, to keep out of your mind and out of your world every element that seeks admittance with no definite helpful end in view.” —George Matthew Adams
This quote makes such great sense, it invites us to be better, to be more disciplined. The challenge is that people who find this hard turn it into pressure and a greater sense of inadequacy.
Thoughts come in and out of our minds almost constantly. And I spend very little time in complete and utter silence within. How about you?
Because I can’t control which ones pop up, I have a different strategy for navigating my thoughts so that the challenge of shutting the door doesn’t erode my confidence: Find the gift!
A negative thought pops in and I get CURIOUS! Where did it come from? How accurate is it? Is there evidence to back it up? What is my mind trying to do in that moment? Can this be an opportunity to practice how to just let that thought pass rather than invest in it? It becomes an incredible opportunity to deeply learn about myself!
In the men’s group I facilitate, the first assignment is a two page, handwritten autobiography. One of the men in the very first group wrote about a disease he has had to endure for most of his life. When I asked him what the gifts of his disease were, he felt frustration with my lack of understanding. Then, eight months into the group, he handed me a slip of paper with a list of all the gifts.
When you have negative thoughts that pop into your head, what gifts are those thoughts offering you?
I’m here to help you create your best life. Together we’ll cut through your excuses, break through the blocks holding you back, build dynamic confidence and create action plans to achieve your career goals, improve your relationships, and increase your happiness.
