The purpose of Awake to Be Great is to unlock the unlimited potential that is in all of us. As cliché as it sounds, our potential is endless and literally, we can achieve anything we set our mind to. The first step to achieving anything is believing anything is possible and having clarity on the steps necessary to get to our goals. Understanding the power of the mind is the reason for this series of articles about how to realize the greatness already inside us. The only thing that will stop us is the lack of ability to take charge of our mind, the biggest obstacle in the way our greatness.
I see the world through my eyes, and you see it through yours. We see the same but perceive it differently. In every situation of life, we can decide how we want to think. There are two main ways of interpretation. One way is through a positive lens, and the other is through a negative one. However, it is a shame in most situations that we worry, feel anxious, envision the worst outcomes, and have a whole bunch of negative thoughts attached to the situation. Refuse to give into negative thoughts. We know they bring us misery, yet we still play the same soul-crushing thoughts in our head over and over again. Getting rid of any thought is impossible, but it is possible to mold them into what we want to perceive them as. You can control your mind and therefore you can control your reality.
Our mind is like a car with two radios; one is positive chatter, and the other is negative. Both are playing simultaneously, but one is playing louder than the other. So, why don’t people just reach over to the dashboard and crank the positivity up? Most people have no idea that it is possible to adjust their thoughts. There are two steps to adjusting the volume. First, we need to address the situation and find out which radio is necessary for helping us. Once we find clarity in the situation, then we can use a variety of techniques to adjust the volume. Our minds are complex and can’t easily turn the dial up or down, but it is possible with concentrated practice.
Thought changing exercises:
- Evaluation/Reevaluation
- Meditation
- Gratefulness
- NLP
- Gradual Exposure
- Responsibility Transfer
We cannot just ignore one thought and focus on another. Just imagine trying to listen to the positivity radio when the negative one is just as loud. If we focus on one sound, the other will stay at the same volume forever. We aren’t ignoring the noise; we are actively drowning it out.
Don’t be fooled that things like, watching TV, playing with pets, and hanging with friends will drown out the noise. That is the act of ignoring. When we finish with those distractions, we are still confronted by our thoughts. We need to change our beliefs actively by practicing thinking with clarity which can only be found in silence.
Sit down and think. The mind constantly throws emotions onto a scale of its own making, on one side are positive thoughts and the other are negative ones. Positive emotions have the weight of a pebble, and negative emotions have the burden of a boulder. Only one negative thought will throw the scale out of equilibrium, and it is very difficult to stop the cycle. Luckily, our perception of our situations is all about balance. Thoughts are a choice, so if there is a huge boulder thrown on the scale, then it can be fixed by packing on pebble after pebble after pebble.
In the rest of the series, I will show you how to find enough pebbles in your world and in some cases create them so that you can overpower the giant negative boulders. Positivity and happiness are in all of us. Some people have a hard time finding their positive emotions in a mountain full of sadness, regret, grief, etc., but with just implementing one of the techniques talked about above, the rocks will fall off the scale and reveal the real beauty of your life and your mind.
Weekly Awakening: Examine Your Thoughts
Embrace yourself, embrace your feelings, and find happiness in the way you think. Remember to be aware of your feelings that have an actual purpose and the ones which you are just making up that will lead you down a rabbit whole you are unable to climb out. There are always mixed emotions toward a situation, but one side isn’t always relevant.
Realize reality
Reality is molded by thought
Thought is molded by the mind
The mind is you
And YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR REALITY
