Key to Being…

A man is but the product of his thoughts: what he thinks, he becomes.
~ Mahatma Ghandi

Whatever you focus on you create.  Whatever you think about, you give power to because you make it your reality.  It is your choice what to think about.  No, it’s not that easy, especially as most of us are in the habit of noticing and remarking upon the bad things that happen during the day.  But you can change that – just ask the following:

Do you want to change your thought patterns?
Do you have some patience to practice changing these patterns?

If you answered “yes†to the first, it’s likely you have patience to change.
If you answered “no†to the first, here are some reminders on why you need to say “yesâ€:

Three ugly consequences of negative thinking

Negative thoughts are a downward spiral.  The more you think negatively, the more you notice the negative things, and the more problems you think you have.  This makes you feel less secure in yourself and your abilities and so you’re able to handle even less problems that come along.¹

Change negative thought patterns into positive ones

We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
~Anais Nin

Become aware of your thoughts. You have control over what you think, but first you need to pay attention to it.  Since reactions are so automatic, we usually don’t even notice them.  Make a conscious decision to pay attention to your thoughts, and each time one enters your mind tell it to “stop”.  Say it out loud if you want and can, then tell it there is no room for negative thoughts in your system.

Change or replace your thoughts.  When you catch that negative thought, either change it or replace it.  If you worry about your health or paying the bills, change that thought and frame it in a positive way, even if you can’t see anything positive in the situation.  Think of how much healthier you are now than you were, realize that you are becoming healthier each day, recognize that you are in control of your health and financial situation.  The other method is to simply replace the negative thought with another, not necessarily related thought that makes you happy and has recently happened or is currently happening to you.  This takes the attention off the negative thought and allows you to create a different reality.

Step away.  If you really feel in a rut, take a break and lie on a comfortable surface, such as a bed, the fragrant grass or a recliner.  Put a small towel over your eyes to block out light and do some deep breathing for 15 minutes.  Alternately, go for a walk or workout, change your environment or put on some positive, uplifting music.

Be with positive people. Unless you feel strong enough to help someone avoid pessimists or people that complain a lot.  It will rub off on you and will make it tough to get rid of negative thought patterns.  Sometimes it’s tough to avoid such people, e.g. at work.  If you hear people saying negative things, don’t accept what they say and put up a mental barrier.  Imagine an invisible, soap-bubble like layer between you and the person, one that is bendable but impenetrable to negative thoughts.  Positive thoughts can come in, like rays of light, but negative ones are too thick and heavy and are stopped.  Play with this visualization or create your own.

Become aware of your words. Replace not only negative thoughts with positive ones, but replace words such as “would, could, should” with “will, can, shall”.  This will make you more determined in your actions and will take away some of the doubt, hesitation and guilt.  (e.g. “I should really get around to finally doing that…” carries all three of these negative emotions)

Analyze instead of criticize. So what went wrong? You’re only human, and if you didn’t make mistakes you wouldn’t advance yourself.  Try to take the emotion out of it and think through what happened logically.  Learn from the experience so you can leverage this new knowledge in future.

Thank yourself. Acknowledge the progress you are making, and especially the decision you made to change.  Be grateful that you are strong and growing stronger each day.

With a little determination and practice you’ll get there.  Even if you don’t feel it, replace your negative thoughts with positive ones, launch a stream of positive self-talk and you’ll begin to feel it and more importantly believe it.  Remember, you are what you believe.

¹ Kotulak, Ronald (2006). Thinking Can Alter the Way Body Fights Disease, New Research Shows. News-Sentinel Fort Wayne, Indiana, October 23
² Thomsen et al (2004). Negative Thoughts and Health: Associations Among Rumination, Immunity, and Health Care Utilization in a Young and Elderly Sample. Psychosoma Med, 66: 749-756.
³Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamin Z, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
⁴Sanoviv Medical Institute, National City, CA