Do you want a different year? You can reprogram or change your thoughts.
Did your morning start with a “Why did this happen to me today?” thought, or did you plan and expect to have a good day?
Do you think that expecting a bad day will help you through the day? Really???
You can reprogram your thoughts and change your life.
I hear you. You are thinking about all the situations and people who seem to be standing in your way and keep you from getting what you want. You do not think that if you simply change, or reprogram, your thoughts, you will make a difference in your life. You can reprogram or change your thoughts to improve your future.
You do not believe me? Stay with me as I try to explain why that is true. This is all about your mindset.
How many times have you had a glitchy morning, thought to yourself that you were going to have a “bad day” and then you did have a bad day?
We humans like to be right. Once you said that you were going to have a bad day, some part of your subconscious mind recorded that and worked to get you to notice all the negative that happen during the day. I would bet that if something positive did happen, you probably thought something along the lines of “This won’t last”.
Thoughts are tricky things to control.
Our beliefs and habits are often hidden from us, but these are two of the things that have great influence over our thoughts. Your thoughts influence your actions. Once you realize that you can control your behavior, you can reprogram or change your thoughts, and you then can better control your life.
If you want to change your behavior and results, it’s important to gain control over your thoughts and learn to change your thinking.
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If you think you are the only one who gets stuck thinking the same things again and again, you are wrong. You have LOTS of company. This has been a battle for thousands of years and continues to be a great challenge. Fortunately, psychology has grown considerably over the last 20 years on this important topic. Now, you can learn to reprogram your thoughts if you’re motivated to do so.
Do not think you need to make a LOT of big changes.
Change is not as difficult as you might think. I am NOT saying that change is easy; I am saying it is easier than you think if you understand how to do it. If you start with some small, simple strategies, you can make big changes. Most people start by making BIG changes and that usually does not last long. If you start with simple things, you are more likely to make the changes you desire.
Think about this. Is it easier to think about losing one pound a week or 50 pounds in four months? The idea of losing 50 pounds is a big goal. We can more easily accept the idea of working on one pound a week.
If you want to save money, is it easier to think about saving $5,000 or thinking of saving $10 a week?
If you apply the same principle, that is, thinking in terms of small steps rather than one BIG goal, you will more likely achieve your goals. Give yourself a really small goal to do each day. Make the goal really small so you are more likely to do it.
Use these techniques to gain control of your actions by reprogramming your thoughts:
Affirmations.
Affirmations are essentially thoughts that you choose for yourself. You can listen to them, read them silently, or read them aloud. Affirmations require a lot of repetition and emotional involvement, but they can be highly effective. The more you say them, especially if you say them with conviction, the more your mind will accept the affirmations as true.
The is the same principle, really, as identified in the child’s story of The Little Engine That Could. The train’s affirmation was “I think, I can, I know I can.” Remember that? If you tell this to your children, then what is wrong with practicing what you preach and saying this to yourself?
You can create
Affirmations that support the pursuit and achievement of your goals.
Affirmations that address your weaknesses, or
A schedule for exposing yourself to your affirmations.
Be patient. Expect that it might be several weeks before you begin to see results.
To reprogram or change your thoughts, you need to learn.
Increasing or altering your knowledge in many areas can have a huge impact on your thoughts.
If you view yourself or the world differently, your thoughts will change. Take a brief look at Stoic and Buddhist philosophy, for example. These viewpoints are vastly different than how most people view the world. Become a student of philosophy and you’ll learn a lot.
There’s a lot most of us could learn about success. Goal setting, willpower, perseverance, and communication are just a few topics. Learning more about these types of topics will change the way you view success, and your thoughts will change, too.
Ask yourself questions.
Questions change your focus and thoughts. Asking yourself questions like, “What’s good about this situation?” or “What are my greatest strengths?” or “What should I be working on right now?” will change your thinking.
Use questions to redirect your attention and thoughts. This is one of the easiest ways to change. Develop the habit of asking the right questions.
Visualization.
Visualize something negative and notice your thoughts. Now, visualize something positive and notice your thoughts. Compare. There’s no doubt that visualization impacts your thoughts and beliefs. The period of time right after awakening and just before falling asleep can be especially effective for visualization.
If you visualize before you sleep, your mind will work to use these visualizations for your benefit. Use this to your advantage.
Visualize yourself reprogramming your thoughts and
Completing the tasks you need to do each day.
Yourself being the person you want to be.
Yourself mastering a skill you want to learn.
Attack limiting beliefs.
Your beliefs largely create your thoughts. Eliminating negative beliefs and adding positive beliefs will drastically change your thoughts. Take a negative belief and apply the following process:
Where did I get this belief? Is it my own? Did someone else give it to me?
What is the belief based upon? Is the source valid? How do I know it’s true?
What is this belief costing me? What would happen if I believed the opposite instead?
Am I willing to let go of this belief for a month and see what happens?
Accept failure.
If you like to beat yourself up whenever you fail, you are in for a steep road ahead. You will fail, and you will do it many times in your life. Embrace this as a gift rather than a burden. Try to view failure as more of a lesson learned. Don’t tell yourself you are a failure; remind yourself that you just learned what doesn’t work. That way, you will not make the same error again, right?
Limit your exposure to people who are negative.
These people thrive on negativity and enjoy dragging others down with them. If you cannot avoid them altogether, spend as little time with them as possible. You already struggle with negative self-talk, so you don’t need them adding more negativity. If you spend more time with positive people that build you up, your negative self-talk will naturally reduce.
Negative thinking is a choice.
Even though you have been bombarded with it since you were a child, thinking negatively is something you choose to do. Conversely, positive thinking is just as much a choice as negative thinking. Choose positive thinking. This isn’t an easy quick fix, it takes a lot of work and practice. …so start now!
Strengthen your self-belief and you will reprogram your thoughts.
Negative thinking often occurs due to a lack of belief in yourself. When you strengthen your confidence, it will help you get through those times that bring you down.
You’re not as easy to program as a computer, but you’re more programmable than you think! If you’re struggling to manage your behavior and get yourself to do the things you know you should be doing, try reprogramming your thoughts.
Many of our thinking patterns are purely habit and very challenging to alter. Being challenging doesn’t mean that a task is impossible!
You can do this. I know you can.
If you found this helpful, please share it with someone you think would also find it useful. I would appreciate it. Your friend might appreciate it too.
Have you ever lost points on an assignment because you forgot to do something?
My assignment checklist can help you remember the details.
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If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a note.
Valerie
updated 3 July 2022