The best breakthroughs are the ones that happen by changing the way we think.  The second we decide to believe something, we change our thoughts and actions.  However, breakthroughs aren’t just the ones that propel us forward into a fantastic life; they also can throw us around and beat us to the ground.

Our brain is on repeat.  We go through our lives telling ourselves the same thing.   Precisely 97% of our mental chatter is on repeat.  Wouldn’t it be safe to presume that if we think the same thing every day, we will nail down exactly what we need to hear?  If we feel sad because of one thought, naturally our minds would self-correct and wash away that thought from its script. Naturally, we would have a breakthrough that changes our life for the better.  Well, I regret to inform you that 60-70% of your mental chatter is negative.  Every day you bully and tear yourself down more than half of the time.  If you think you’re special, and this doesn’t apply to you, just know that all the participants who were used in the study to get this information thought they would have 60-75% of their thoughts be positive.  When it comes to our own mind, we tend to be extremely biased, thinking that most of your own thoughts are positive, and almost all of them are accurate.

The bias that most of our thoughts are accurate can very easily screw ourselves over.  In the positive sense, if we tell ourselves before a party “I am a happy and energetic person” we will believe it and then we will act as a sociable butterfly.  Then because we are sociable, we have proof that our identity was correct, and again we will give ourselves more positive thoughts as a result.  This cycle of thinking is very useful to validate our beliefs, however, if we are thinking with a negative perspective, we can go into a downward spiral.  If the previous situation were in a negative tone, it would sound like this.

Thought Validation:

1. “I am shy and can’t meet anyone.” (Thought)
2. Doesn’t meet anyone because according to your accurate mind, that is impossible (Validation)
3. Comes home and thinks “I will never meet anyone new.”
4. Goes out with friends next day and meets no one
5. Again, says “I will never meet ”
6. etc.

If we tell ourselves, we can’t do something, eventually, we will believe it.  Eventually, our lives will become numb from living in a world that is gray and dull.  Unless we change our script, we will always put ourselves down.

2 Types of negative thoughts: 

• Beliefs rooted in our value
  • i.g. I’m so stupid.
  • i.g. I can’t get a girlfriend/boyfriend like everyone else?
  • i.g. I’m not worthy of them treating me as an equal?
• Mental pushback before/during/after an activity
  • i.g. I will never have enough time.
  • i.g. She doesn’t like me.
  • i.g. I didn’t do well enough.

Stopping The Cycle

If you come across any of these thoughts, there are three steps to neutralize any negative chatter. First, ask yourself this crucial question; is this thought pushing me toward the life I desire or is it holding me back? If it holds you back, perform the next two steps. These steps vary depending on if the thought is a belief or if it is situational oriented.

Evaluate (Belief)

1. Realize that not every belief is accurate.
   • You’re not the only one that thinks this way, it is a common belief, and even people you know have the same deprecating thoughts
2. Ask yourself, why am I thinking this? Ask 2 more times. Why? Why?
3. Associate pain to this belief.
   • The more you hate the belief, the more motivated you will be to stop its power over you

Reevaluate (Belief)

1. Create doubt by questioning the belief.
   • Really dig deep and find flaws that will stop the belief’s power
2. Create a moment or seek out a moment that will instantaneously make you decide to think something else.
   • i.g. “I could never give up meat”… visit a slaughter house
   • i.g. “I can’t get a significant other”… go out every day and meet people until you find a girlfriend or boyfriend
3. Replace your negative belief with a more empowering one and make sure to celebrate the new belief ever chance you get.

Evaluate (Situational)

1. Realize that not every thought is accurate.
   • You’re not the only one that thinks this way, it is a common thought, and even people you know have the same deprecating thoughts
2. Ask yourself, why am I thinking this? Ask 2 more times. Why? Why?
3. Ask yourself, what is the worst that can happen?

Note: Be very descriptive when answering these questions.  The more detail, the easier it will be to neutralize the thought.

Reevaluate (Situational)

1. Ask yourself what do I want to happen?
2. Describe your preferred way you want to feel.
3. Create stories that would reinforce your preferred outcome and feelings.
   • i.g. They won’t like me
     • They love everyone, and they will greet me with open arms
     • We have so much in common and its impossible for them not to like me
     • They will recognize me from somewhere else, and we will bond over that
     • I love their jacket, and I have a jacket just like it
     • They look like ninjas, and I am obsessed with ninja turtles
     • They are going to love me
   • Choose the best scenario that reinforces your ideal situation and focus on

You need to decide to think the way you want and to have the ability to change your thoughts that create the world you want to perceive.  Wake up to the devastation your negative thoughts have on you.  You are a meaning maker. Your thoughts are your reality. This life is a movie, and you are the director, leading star, and script writer.  All you have to do to create the life you want is to Conceive, Believe, and Achieve.

If you’re up for the challenge, check out the link in the bio for help on how to change your thoughts. #awaketobegreat

A photo posted by Awake to Be Great (@awaketobegreat) on Jul 31, 2016 at 11:01am PDT