Do you do the Cha Cha?

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

-Upanishads of the Vedas

These words have been quoted by Margaret Thatcher and Mohandas Gandhi because they are powerful.  For me, the first three words are the most powerful of the bunch.

WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS

People think they are their thoughts.  People think what they think is true when really it may be true for you alone and not necessarily a perspective shared by anyone else.  We think what we think based on our past conditioning and no two people in the world think the same way.

A good exercise to learn how you think is to listen to your inner self-talk.  When you listen to your inner chatter, are those thoughts serving you?  Do you say empowering things to yourself that will ensure you have a great day or are you hard on yourself?

We don’t have to accept what the voice in our head is telling us if we don’t like it.  We can choose not to give it power.  After all, it’s just our brain having a thought and a thought is a thing. Things can and do change.  We can change HOW we think.

Some people think they can change their lives through positive affirmations. They are a popular new year resolution.

However, positive affirmations don’t work if the voice in our head is countering the affirmation.  For example, a popular affirmation is: “Every day and in every way, I am getting better and better.”

Sounds good, no?

What if as we say the affirmation the voice in our head says something along the lines of, “Who am I kidding; my life is never going to change no matter how many affirmations I try. I wish I could meet that special someone…find that job … get that dream house…”

BOOM, right there you have countered positive momentum in your mind and also turned your state of mind over to an external event, neither of which are going to change your state of mind to an optimum level. One step forward; two steps back. Cha Cha Cha.

Just as it’s good to exercise our body, it’s good to exercise our brain to achieve results both personally and professionally.  The natural tendency is to slip into reliving the past or worrying about the future both of which can produce unnecessary anxiety and worry.

When you catch yourself having a negative thought, simply stop and focus your mind on something else that makes you feel good.

Listening to music is a wonderful gamechanger.  Put on a favourite tune and step lively into your future. Everyone around you will benefit. Watch how others’ reactions change when you change your thinking.