It might seem as if our enlightened brothers & sisters out there have somehow managed to triumphantly overcome the human condition and are now settled comfortably into a place of peace and bliss.
Yeah, they are. They really, really are. It’s possible to live this kind of life here on earth.
But I have to break something to you: Those thoughts that bring us to our boiling point, that devastate us and feel absolutely horrible, do not go away. They don’t.
Sorry.
What changes, is: we don’t buy them anymore.
Imagine a mall where sales people surround you, enticing you with all kinds of shiny objects. You buy all of them. You buy everything that is offered to you – from the hideous teddy bear ring to the plastic necklace – simply because it was offered. And guess what: This scenario actually plays out in your mind every day. You live with the emotional ‘debt’ of buying everything (boy, that’s expensive!). You live with the discomfort and pain that result (those size 7 shoes really don’t fit!).
THIS is what is going on in your mind. Are you really going to buy every single little offer the mind makes? (“Bob thinks my decisions are not well thought out and that I’m hurting the company” “OK, bought.”)
Seriously?
STOP IT!
Here is how you can start ridding yourself of further negative self-talk which is harmful to you and your business:
1. Examine how a certain thought feels to you.
If a thought doesn’t feel good, do not buy it. As soon as a thought does not evoke JOY, EXCITEMENT or PLEASURE within you, you have to drop it like it’s hot. To begin this style of self-created living, it suffices to address the clearly negative thoughts first. Neutral thoughts we can examine later (p.s.: there is no such thing as a “neutral thought”).
This might seem very difficult at first – particularly because we all have been conditioned to “work with” or accept our own mind’s negativity. However, training yourself away from “buying” your own negativity will save you heartaches, frustrations and financial losses you cannot even conceive of now.
2. Check in with yourself at least twice per day.
Set an alarm to put all your busyness aside for 5 min. Lean back in your chair and go over the past hours of your day. Where have you allowed your mind to lead you into negativity? Where have you felt negative emotion? Where have you gone into “dead end” or “downward spiral” thinking patterns? Where have you been short-tempered or made unconscious decisions at work? Awareness is the first step to positive change. Congratulate yourself on practicing mindfulness. This exercise will help you prevent messes from happening in the first place.
3. Remember that you are in control of what you choose to believe.
Find your own unique way to re-mind yourself of your creative powers throughout your workday. For some, a post-it on the computer screen at work will do a perfect job of this; others do better with finding ways to “re-program” themselves in their home environment. Make an effort to remember what you have come to know and understand and amazing effects will begin to appear in both your life and work. In my own life, I have been astounded at how often I can forget what I have come to understand over the past decade. On a daily basis, I still get caught up in operating on auto-pilot, removed from conscious awareness. It is equally astounding how quickly one can snap out of negativity and back into conscious living. Simply be re-membering, by becoming a member of conscious thought creation. The spiritual teacher Osho alerts us to the fact that the simple noticing of de-railing thoughts is an incredible tool – rather than feeling bad about once again having caught yourself in your own negativity, “rejoice”, he says! You are aware and thus out of that negative space. Simply state out loud something to the effect of “Off I went again!”, as you notice when your mind does you disservice.
This is the magic formula! What are you waiting for? Start RIGHT NOW! The freedom and bliss you will be experiencing, will blow your socks off.
Andres Hacker Milano is a Manhattan based Life Coach, assisting people in realizing their full potential. It is her passion to unearth peoples’ limiting beliefs and “de-bug” their hard drives thus restoring their mind-machines to the supportive role they were meant to play.
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