Hey Chris,
It’s really hard to elevate when I begin in a negative thought pattern. It’s become a daily challenge!
I have also been inconsistent with practicing mindfulness and gratitude. I think that has something to do with it.
What advice can you give me?
Signed,
Elevate me
~~~~~~~~~~
Elevate me, congratulations for being SO self-aware that you see what’s holding you back!
You clearly recognize the value of the self-care tools such as mindfulness and gratitude, and how they can serve you. However, I’ll be a bit controversial and say…something else that is FAR MORE IMPORTANT and critical has to come first.
And that is…
Choosing…
Choosing to have more powerful, positive and elevating thoughts comes…FIRST.
If you practice the other self-care strategies, but don’t consciously CHOOSE to have “better” or more positive thoughts, you’ll be centered for your day, but you’ll be at the mercy of random thoughts peeking in. One “rando” thought can send you into that negative space…which is OK. It’s what you do next, that is key.
Here are some questions that will help you to “choose:”
- Ok, I didn’t think that thought would sneak in…what can I take away from it?
- What different perspective could I have here?
- What was the gift in this thought?
These questions can help you shift your “negativity” into a more elevated, powerfully positive space.
Here’s a great, recent experience I had.
I spent almost an entire Wednesday complaining about the people I work with. Why can’t they “get” it? How are they paid so much and still do nothing? On and on.
Finally, I stopped and asked myself — what’s going on with you Chris? Why are you spending all this energy on this?
And when I got quiet, I heard the answer…
It’s NOT them…it’s YOU!
You are ready for a new position and have even been applying. So your frustration is blinding you to the fact that they are doing the best they can and you just need to chill until the position flows to you…as it always has.
I had to stop the negative thoughts and ask a different question.
Of course, the key is being open to hearing the answer. And that’s where we’re alike, elevate me…I meditate at the start of every day (except Sundays – long story), but I know it allows me to stop and hear.
I would never suggest that you don’t practice mindfulness and gratitude…they are really good stuff. I would suggest that you USE those tools to help you CHOOSE to ask better questions to tackle those negative thoughts.
Choose to think positive thoughts.
Choose to find the lesson, the gift, the message in what we perceive as “bad” or “negative.”
It won’t always be easy, but I could argue that that choice becomes easier because of your practice of mindfulness and gratitude.
Don’t take my word for it.
Give “choosing” your thoughts priority for a week and see what how it elevates your mindfulness and gratitude.
Good stuff, elevate me, thank you for asking!
~ Let life love you!
If you have a question, challenge or issue that you’d like me to respond to for this blog, simply email me. I will respond to as many as I can and you will remain anonymous.
If you’d like to have a private conversation about a question, challenge or issue, simply go here to get started.