Our thoughts control our results.

What does that mean?

This can be a hard concept to embrace. We all have thoughts.
Our thoughts control our actions and our actions effect our results.

I think this is easier to understand with an example. I am going to go with a thought I had when I was ready to change my career.

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I’m stuck I don’t know what to do next

So then I take the thought and figure out how that thought makes me feel.

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I’m stuck I don’t know what to do next
Feel: confused

Now I  write down all the actions I take when I feel that way. The important thing here is to really feel that feeling before you write the actions.

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I’m stuck I don’t know what to do next
Feel: confused
Actions: Be upset that I don’t know what to do,  pick things that interest me but figure I can’t do them, find distractions like cleaning the house-at least I can do that…

Let’s look at the results I get from that thought

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I’m stuck I don’t know what to do next
Feel: confused
Actions: Be upset that I don’t know what to do,  pick things that interest me but figure I can’t do them, find distractions like cleaning the house-at least I can do that…
Results: I still don’t know what to do next. And I am still unhappy about it.

The next step is to come at it with a different thought

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I wonder what I should do next?

My feeling is a bit different

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I wonder what I should do next?
Feeling: Curious

Now I list the actions.

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I wonder what I should do next?
Feeling: Curious
Actions: Search the internet for possible job ideas, think about what I like to do, look at my skills from my past work, look at my hobbies maybe I can make it into a career, volunteer doing something I am curious about…

Now my results are different.

Circumstance: New career
Thought: I wonder what I should do next?
Feeling: Curious
Actions: Search the internet for possible job ideas, think about what I like to do, look at my skills from my past work, look at my hobbies maybe I can make it into a career, volunteer doing something I am curious about…
Results: I am no longer spinning in confusion. I figure it out some options. And I am happier while doing it.

This example shows you how you can use your thoughts to your advantage.

The steps:

  • Start with a circumstance and write a thought dump. Everything you can think about that circumstance-positive and negative.
  • Write the feeling you have for each thought.
  • Write out the actions you take when you have that feeling.
  • The result reflects back to the thought.

 

 

I do this daily with my business goals, with my life and with my relationships.

It is a great way to check in with myself to see how I am feeling.  And to see which thoughts are serving me and which ones are not.

Remember how I said that your head is like a thought party.

It gets to the point with practice, where you can just let those negative thoughts pass on by. You know they don’t serve you. So you stop inviting them to your party.

Make your thought party one you want to attend!