“Life is a reflection of what we believe and think.” I heard this from Pastor Craig Groeschel this past weekend. As I wrote about this in my journal, I wondered how much different my life would have been if I would have been more aware about my thoughts earlier on in my life.
You may or not understand this concept and even if you do, if you are like me, you need a reminder often. I feel that 2020 gave us some homework in winning the battle of our mind.
What does winning the battle with your mind really mean? Cognitive Behavior Psychology proves that our lives are moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts. Even some of my smallest thoughts can take control of my behaviors in an instant depending upon the framework of the situation I am in! Every thought creates a chemical reaction in our brain. Your brain then creates a story and typically that story leads to some type of action. Before the action there is typically an emotion of feeling you can identify. Identifying is important and even more important is the awareness you have around that emotion. That emotion can build up over time and manifest itself in your health, your energy, your behavior. Noticing what is happening in your mind is critical awareness and a great place to begin change.
What are some simple steps to win in your mind?
- Identify what your thoughts you may be prisoner to daily and write them out. Keep a notebook or journal and write those thoughts out at the end of the day. Example: “I am not good enough to______” “If I had more money I could ______” “I will never be able to ______”.
- Identify what thought can counteract those thoughts that make you a prisoner. Example: “I am good enough because I have done things I didn’t think I could do before” “I have the capacity to make more money so that I can have the thing I want” “I am capable of doing __________________ and I can learn to do more that strengthens me”. Write out the positives.
- Do a “thought audit” by writing these questions down for yourself to review daily. Are you more worried or more peaceful? Are you more negative or positive? Do you think more about the moment or more about your future?
After a week of self analysis, you might begin to see just one are in your thinking that you can improve. John Maxwell says that “success happens not in the final recognition but in the small steps along the way to get there.”
The true battleground is in our head, will you choose to take steps toward noticing?
For additional resources and assessments you might want to consider on this subject, take a look at our link: https://www.mattersofinfluence.com/assessments/
and feel free to reach out to us at any time! Win the War!!!