Destructive Thoughts
It’s no secret that our thoughts, the ones we allow to take root, define who we become. The ones we voice become our actions, which then become our reality.
I recently watched an episode of a series I am watching. I am not going to tell you which one. No spoilers here. But I AM going to tell you what I learned from it. A huge ah-ha moment. I would call it a revelation.
They say that entrepreneurs watch TV/movies differently -that we actually LOOK for the lessons, something we can learn from. I believe that. At least for me, it’s true. I tell you that as fair warning. I will reference something I have heard/watched in many of these blog posts. Life stories, what I watch and listen to, THOSE become lessons to me and lessons I am compelled to share. It’s in my blood.
But I digress. Back to what I was watching.
In this episode, one of the main characters was being tormented by someone who had passed on in a violent manner. This tormentor was in every thought this character had - waking or sleeping. The idea was that the tormentor would systematically destroy her to the point of ending her own life. It was tragic watching the episode play out. I am not telling you what happened to this character. It isn’t important to this blog post. And, like I said, no spoilers here.
What IS important is how the tormentor tormented this character. He didn’t torment her by having her dream or hallucinate horrifying scenes like you would find in a horror movie. It was actually far more sinister than that.
What he did was turn this character’s OWN THOUGHTS ON HERSELF. Every negative thought she had ever had he turned back on her. Everything she thought about herself, everything she had verbalized negatively about herself. All of it was turned and used against her. He even tormented her with thoughts she ASSUMED others had about her. To take it further, he had THOSE PEOPLE appear and say those words - not words they had actually every spoken - just words this character ASSUMED they were thinking. ASSUMED.
What a revelation! It’s not just our thoughts about us, or that others have actually SAID against us. It’s what we ASSUME others are thinking. All of these things destroy us. But here’s the saddest part, the tormentor is not some insidious character with the intent to destroy us that is the threat to our sanity, our productivity, our empowered life.
The tormentor is OURSELVES.
We take words that others have said to us, thoughts we have conjured up ourselves, and the worst, things we ASSUME others are saying about us - and TURN THEM AGAINST OURSELVES. Like some monster with no feelings, we play the loop over and over again in our own minds until we destroy ourselves.
Our dreams die. Our productivity dies. We sabotage our own efforts to grow and change. We hold ourselves back from greatness. We lose our confidence, our joy, our strength. We completely destroy ourselves for thoughts that aren’t even true.
We CHOOSE to believe something that we conjured up in our minds.
THAT is tragic.
So what are we supposed to do?
Acknowledge that the negative thoughts ARE going to happen. It’s a part of life. Maybe we are tired, hungry, overwhelmed, stressed and the negative thoughts start flying into our minds like bees buzzing around a flower. They come in. But they don’t have to STAY in.
But think about it. When an insect flies around you, what do you do? You swat it away. YOU SWAT IT AWAY. That’s what I want you to do with those negative thoughts - swat it away. Forcefully. Don’t allow it to take root. And for goodness sake - DO NOT VERBALIZE IT. Once you verbalize that negativity, it begins to root. It takes residence. You are above that. You do not rent any space to the negative thoughts.
Once you have swatted the negativity away, SPEAK your truth. Out loud. Speak your truth, speak your empowered declaration. “I am joyful, I choose happy, I am strong and confident.” Write a few declarations for yourself. Have them ready. How about this one, “I do not assume what others are thinking. And besides, I put no stock in someone else’s opinion of me. It doesn’t define me.”
Move your body. Dance. Stretch. Take a walk - preferably outside. Put your bare feet on the ground - the grass is the best. Yep. Even if it’s cold. Ground yourself in your positive declaration. Moving your body raises levels of the feel good hormones in your body and reinforces your positive declaration.
Journal. That’s another thing you will learn about me. I am a huge proponent of journaling. Grab your journal and write (yes - pen to paper!) how you are feeling after verbalizing your truth and moving your body. It doesn’t have to be long. In fact, it can be one phrase, one sentence. “I feel energized.”
You have what it takes to turn your life around. It is inside of you. It is inside of all of us.
Radical Empowerment means unlocking your life to become the most productive, joyful, healthy, energetic, disciplined, trail-blazing version of yourself possible.
And helping you achieve that is why I created The Radical Empowerment Method. Check it out HERE.
You deserve to overcome the fear that has kept you trapped.
And I believe in you.
It’s never too late.
Life is Short. Choose Wisely.