Don’t Believe Everything You Think
3 Quotes
“Our lives are the fruit of our most consistent thought patterns.”
― Dr. Billy Alsbrooks
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes".
– William James
“our life is what our thoughts make it.”
- Marcus Aurelius
Our thoughts are facts, right? Wrong! A lot of the monologue running through our minds each day is fiction of our own creation. Especially when that little voice inside your head is belittling you, “You can’t do that. Who do you think you are? You sound so stupid.” Those thoughts may feel true, but they aren’t. And you don’t have to listen to them or believe them anymore.
Learning to master your mind is like gaining a superpower. You can change your life for the better without spending a dime, quitting your job, or getting a divorce. You can flip the script inside your head and start experiencing life in a new way.
I first heard of this concept about 15 years ago and have been fine-tuning my thoughts ever since. First, become aware of the thoughts you are thinking. The previous post introduced the importance of awareness, now we will build upon it. Are your thoughts positive and encouraging? Or are they negative and belittling? It can be hard to jump from a very negative thought to a positive one, so taking baby steps in a kinder direction. If you’re starting with, “I’m terrible with money and I’ll be broke forever,” it will feel like a lie to think, “I’m rich and I’m great with money.” That won’t work. But, “I can learn more about money management,” is showing some confidence and encouragement for yourself in the area. You don’t have to be good at money management, but you’re capable of getting some better information. Or even, “What if it’s possible for me to learn skills that would help me be better with money?” You’re just entertaining the idea that you might be able to change. Even that is more positive and empowering that the previous thought.
This topic is so important and so life-changing that we’ll come back to it several times. Let’s get started!
2 Podcast Episodes
The Life Coach School
Episode #19: “Thought Management”
https://thelifecoachschool.com/podcast/19/
Brook Castillo hosts the Life Coach School podcast. I’ve listened to this podcast since 2018. Brook Castillo pulls ideas from psychology and neuroscience and turns them into easy-to-understand, actionable items that listeners can implement to improve their lives. This episode is like a user’s manual for your brain. If you want to learn to change how you feel by changing how you think, this is where you start.
The Homecoming Podcast
Episode #143 “Coping with Self-Defeating Thoughts”
https://soundcloud.com/dr-thema-bryant-davis/episode-143-coping-with-self-defeating-thoughts
I just started listening to Dr. Thema Bryant a few months ago and she’s a new favorite. On one hand, she has this gentle, nurturing personality that makes me wish I knew her and could grab a coffee with her. On the other hand, she is an absolute powerhouse in the world of psychology. She’s the 2023 president of the American Psychological Association, a professor, an Ivy League-trained doctor of psychology, and an author. She’s also a minister and an artist. She brings so many different perspectives to her practice.
1 Resource
Here is a link to a thought ladder, which Brook Castillo described in the podcast episode above. Full disclosure, I’m not familiar with Kim Witten, the coach who created this particular thought ladder I’ve seen thought ladders before and liked the visual aid which ties in nicely with this week’s topic. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60854001c0f6531f1403d717/t/630f424d8da9265cf83f840f/1661944406217/Worksheet_Thought_Ladder_KWC.pdf
