Why are you always so hard on yourself?

Do you ever feel like your thoughts are controlling you?

Your mind is the most powerful tool in your life. It can help or hurt, depending on how it’s used. You have the power to choose what goes into that amazing brain of yours and what comes out of it. The problem is most people don’t realize they have this choice until it’s too late! If you want to be happy, successful, and fulfilled in life then you need to take control over your own thoughts and conversations with yourself.

In fact, the most important conversation you will ever have in life is the conversation you have with yourself throughout each day. Science shows the average person thinks about 60,000 thoughts a day, 80% of those are thoughts about the past and 95% of the thoughts about the past are repeated negative thoughts from the day before. Wow, this is astounding! No wonder so many people are literally stuck in the past and living so much of life with limiting beliefs.

One thing you can do is start today by learning about self-talk and becoming aware of exactly how the conversation goes with yourself. Are the majority of your thoughts occurring with a positive or optimistic underlying theme? Or are the majority negative and pessimistic thoughts? The journey of self-discovery starts with step zero: self awareness. 

Here’s a quick exercise you can do for the next several days to check your thought life temperature and get yourself on the positive track. First thing when you wake up in the morning take a blank sheet of paper and just start writing down things that you are grateful for. Give it some effort and do your best to list at least 10, but if you can do 20 things you are grateful for. Then after you’ve written them all down, take a moment and start from the top and read each item out loud as you pause for a moment to truly feel the gratitude after you say each item aloud. Seriously, take a moment and call up the feelings deep within your heart for how much gratitude you feel for each thing you wrote down. At the end of the exercise, put the paper next to your wallet, purse, or phone and carry it with you throughout the day. Each time you see or feel the paper, pull it up and read through the list aloud again. See if you can do this at least three times - in the morning, midday, and in the evening. In just a few short days you will notice a more positive theme underlying your thoughts. Continue this practice for as long as you like, the longer you practice it the more positive your thinking will become.

By taking responsibility for our own thoughts we can begin a journey towards mental clarity, emotional stability, and physical health that will last a lifetime! We all deserve happiness but first, we must learn to love ourselves before loving others around us fully. Get to work with the above exercise and begin living your best life today.

What is your thought life? And what do you do to gear your thought life in a positive direction? Hit reply and let me know.