Thought drives all conscious action.
Every choice you make begins with a thought.
Many of us want to change our lives for the better but feel helpless to do so. For this post I'm going to use the example of weight loss but the application is universal.
Image with me for a moment............
It's January 1st. Your new years resolution is to get in shape. This time you're ready. You clear out all the junk food from your house, and fill your kitchen with healthy food. No more soda, no more candy. The next day you head to the gym at 6 a.m. with your pre-planned workout in hand. You feel unstoppable. The first week your new routine feels fun and exciting, you've even lost a few pounds.
Fast forward in time(a few weeks or months)......
You're no longer losing weight, and you feel frustrated. The junk food has crept back into your kitchen, and your local gym is starting to miss your lovely face. You begin to believe it's hopeless and feel like trying to change is exhausting. Slowly you start slipping back into your old routine, despite it not being what you want for yourself.
You wanted to change so what happened?
Before any lasting external change can manifest in your life, internal changes must take place first!
There is no quick fix to create lasting change. You must first ask the important questions and be willing to accept the answers.
- How did I become overweight in the first place?
- What thoughts are driving my unhealthy habits?
- Do I believe I can succeed? Why or why not?
- Do I think I'm worthy of a better life?
- How can I let go of these outdated beliefs about myself?
- What new thoughts, ideas, and beliefs do I want to replace the old ones?
These are just examples of the types of soul searching questions one should be asking before trying to implement huge changes. It's important to upgrade your system before expecting it to run a new program.
If you try to skip this step and surge forward forcing change, you will be left frustrated and discouraged.
Think of your thoughts as the seeds of your actions. No one would plant a tomato seed and then be angry that it didn't grow into a carrot. So it is with your thoughts. A person who has a garden of healthy thoughts and has weeded out the self-destructive ones is not going to participate in actions that are defeating. First they would have to have negative thoughts, therefore enabling the negative actions that follow.
SO WHAT NOW?
How about you can do this! You can, I promise. It won't be easy, and it will take time, which will only teach you patience. That's good. You'll need patience in your thought garden.
Start today, step back and observe your thoughts, don't judge them, just take some data. Be aware of the messages and stories you tell yourself. This part is important, and it can be unpleasant, but that means you are doing it honestly. NICE WORK!
Once your have a grasp of were the weeds are in your garden get out there and do some weeding. Replace those weeds with new thought seeds. Remember to try to catch yourself when an old weedy thought pokes through and replace it with your new thought. (This is like watering your new seeds so they grow.)
And Finally repeat this process for the rest of your life. There will always be work to do in the garden but you'll find it gets easier. Over time the weeds won't be as hard to pull because they won't have deep roots, and there will be less space for them. The healthy thought seeds you planted will grow into lovely actions and healthy habits that keep you moving forward.