One of the most revealing activities you can do on your quest for personal improvement is to put your attention into recognizing the hundreds of negative thoughts that bounce inside your head each day – some of them present as the result of someone else, other times these thoughts are the result of negative self-talk. All are equally devastating to our psyche.
We can all remember someone we respected, looked up to or put our faith in telling us that “If you don’t try harder you just won’t make it” or “If you don’t get your act together you won’t have a pot to piss in when you get older”.
These seemingly innocent words of “wisdom” were common place when I was young, it seemed every time I turned around someone else had advice for me, most of it resulting in negative thought patterns when you consider each statement is stored and replayed again-and-again in your life.
Then there are the thousands of self-sabotage thoughts that go spiraling through your mind on any given day, being reinforced further resulting in self-doubt and low self confidence.
No wonder we have a hard time conjuring up a purpose in our life or being able to take action on the plan we just can’t seem to realize.
The fact is that we are all carrying around a TON of baggage, negative thoughts that serve as the daily habit for our brain and that, in-turn, direct the thoughts and behaviors each and every day we live on this earth.
Can we change it?
Absolutely…here are 3 ways to overcome these putdowns, negative thoughts and self-talk:
1. Recognize Them And Write Them Out. Simply acknowledging these thoughts is the first, and most crucial step to helping to overcome their debilitating control over our lives. Many people get immediate relief from their lifelong negativity by simply writing these negative thought patterns out and recognizing the fact they exist at all.
2. Replace Them With Positive Images and Self Talk. We can do this through calming the mind (meditation), positive substitution (affirmations and imagery), being more conscious who we model and emotionally attach ourselves too – that way we can control the thoughts we cherish in our minds
3. Stop Seeing Ourselves As The Victim. In many people who “claim” they cannot change the ultimate cause is that they do not really WANT to change because that would mean they are no longer the victim (their comfort zone), and instead must find a new way of operating. Replacing 20+ years of operating in a passive, reactionary, victimized mentality where you choose short-term reward of giving up responsibility for your own emotions to someone else and instead choosing to take control and live with the consequences is not a simple task, but it is an ESSENTIAL one.
It happens to us all, we carry thoughts and ideas that are implanted or self-constructed that result in negative thoughts and reduced confidence…it’s up to all of us to combat this negativity substituting hope, dreams, purpose and passion in our lives once again.
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