Power of the Mind

Power of the Mind – You are what you think and believe

I was thinking at breakfast today about the power of mind, and how some of us – regardless of how smart we are or how many college degrees we have – haven’t completely learned to harness that power. We may not be in control of every situation in life, but we are always in control of how we think.

How we think directly impacts who we are and what we will become.

I know I’m probably going too deep here, but stay with me because I think this is good to talk about. We are what we think and believe. If we’re constantly telling ourselves out loud, “Oh, I’m fat,” subconsciously we will see that as our self image no matter how much weight we lose. From there, it becomes easier for us to doubt how good we are at our jobs and we will make excuses for why we weren’t able to get our workout in on a particular day. Simply by thinking negatively, it creates an equally-negative domino effect.

It’s funny because when it’s a situation we think we can control, like creating a healthy lifestyle or preparing for a big promotion, we put a plan in place and we step up emotionally, mentally, and physically to the challenge. If it’s something we don’t think we have control over, the tendency is to falter under the pressure. We don’t know what to do, we panic, and we lose all sight of logic.

Simply put … stuff happens. But we each have a mind of our own, and we can imagine life happening however we want it to happen.

There’s a lot of helpful information online, from self-help books to inspirational quotes, blogs, articles, and fun quips like, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” All of it is meant to help find perspective.

But the first step, in my humble opinion, is to incorporate faith. I’m often reminded of this passage:

Looking for the Good:

Gold’s plan will not lead you where God’s plan cannot keep you. Of course, life has its bumps and bruises. There are good times and difficult times and the challenge is to find your God moment in both types of experience. When do you praise and worship God? When it seems that life is going well and He is answering your prayers and you have relatively few problems? Sure, it is easy to praise then. But, when the bumps come along and you seem to be directed into u-turns, how do you adapt? When God is in control, there is no reason to expect the worst of a changing situation. In fact, you can look for the surprises of His new plan and see what He has new for you. Sort of like “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” When you find yourself in the problems of life (the mud puddle) look for the blessing He will give (fish in your pockets)! You can avoid having ulcers by adapting to the situation: If you fall in the mud puddle, check your pockets for fish.

I talk often about faith in God, and my husband Brett and I have made it the foundation for everything we do as a family. Once you have faith, you will find it easier to deal with any difficult situation or decision – and see the blessings in them – even if you can’t completely control the outcome.

From there, other steps you can take include:

  1. Take a step back – Before you jump to an irrational thought or give up on the world, take a step back, breathe, and think about the bigger picture. Is this something you should be worrying about now? How big is this issue in the long run? Oftentimes, the answer presents itself naturally.
  2. Ask for support – If you find yourself alone in a difficult situation, ask for help. Oftentimes, someone who is not facing that decision or situation can offer a different perspective, or even tell you exactly what you need to do after having once gone through the same thing themselves.
  3. Look back on what you have accomplished – Sometimes it’s easy to throw your hands up and quit. Instead, look back at all your accomplishments in life and think about how you have overcame similar struggles. What did you do then that can be incorporated now? Own the situation, regardless of the unknown of what might happen next.

 

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