WHEN YOU CHANGE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT

WHEN YOU CHANGE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT

        WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT CHANGES
                  © Chessie Roberts 2010, all rights reserved

Do you find yourself having conversations with your ‘self’ about what you should have done or said in any given circumstance? How about what you think SHOULD have happened or how you SHOULD have reacted to fill in the blank?

When we talk to ourselves, we call it thinking but what we are really doing is actually talking to “self” about something that is bothering us. It can be anything, a disturbing incident, an angry encounter, a close call. You notice that I didn’t list anything ‘good’ here. That is because, as people, we don’t usually rehash the good, just the bad.

The worse the trauma, the more we go through it in our heads later. We grind on it, rewriting the scenario over and over again. Most of the time, within our rewrite, we come out the clever hero, besting our antagonist and making them feel as bad as we did in the original incident.

The reason for this is that’s how we handled this type of thing when we were children. A little person will tell you the same tale of trauma until you feel that you can’t stand to hear it again but, that is how they ‘talk themselves down’.

As we mature, we learn to keep most of these things to ourselves, but they do have a tendency to pop out somewhere else if we are not vigilant. One of the ways; as we mature into more positive people, we can handle this process is to change what we are thinking about. We do this by learning proper self-talk. I.e. writing a better script in our heads.

The way to start the re-write is to go for the positive in all of your daily encounters. Look at whatever is going on (in ANY situation) and ask yourself, “What makes this situation positive?” (I keep that sign hanging right by my computer so that I don’t forget). Next, ask yourself “What are my assets?” These two questions will change the focus of your thoughts to a more positive slant.

The other thing that you can do to get your thoughts moving in a positive direction is to keep a journal with you at all times (just until you get used to thinking this way). Every time you come up with a less than desirable thought, write it down. If you can change it to a positive statement at the time, go, ahead and do it, if not, wait until you have some quiet time and refer back to your notes. Then rewrite the statement in the proper positive language.

EXAMPLE: “That stupid jerk nearly ran me off the road! I wonder where he got his driver’s license, Hasbro.” CORRECTION: “I am so glad he missed me, I hope he gets where he is going safely.”

It might sound a bit corny, but it really does work. As you begin to change your inner vocabulary, your thoughts will turn toward a more positive flow. This flow will, in turn, change what occupies your mind. As that focus changes you will find that your vibrations rise and, consequently, your life will flow better as well because, when you change what you think about, what you think about changes.

Bright Blessings, Chessie