I don’t know about you, but when something isn’t going the way I hoped, I can catch myself focusing on everything that isn’t working.
Here we go again.
Why is this happening?
What am I going to do now?
And here’s the funny thing. I’m a mindset coach. This is the work I do, and I’ve spent years learning, practicing, and helping others with the mindset work that can help us move forward.
And I still catch myself doing this.
I think that’s worth saying because if you find yourself doing it, too, there is nothing unusual about you. Knowing something intellectually doesn’t mean it becomes effortless to put into practice. We’re human, and our thoughts can take us places before we even realize we’re headed there.
Our brains tend to pay attention to problems and things that need our attention. That can be helpful, but sometimes we can get so focused on what isn’t working that we have a harder time seeing what might be possible.
One of the things I’ve practiced over the years, both personally and in my work, is turning the thought around.
Not by pretending everything is fine.
Not by forcing ourselves to think something we don’t believe.
Simply by reaching for a thought that feels a little more hopeful or possible.
I wonder how this could change.
What if there is another way to look at this?
What’s one small thing I can do next?
Sometimes the shift is simply moving from I can’t toward Maybe I can.
That’s what I want you to try this week.
When you notice yourself slipping into the things don’t work out for me mindset, pause. Notice the thought, and then see if you can turn it around.
You aren’t trying to convince yourself that everything will work out exactly as you want it to.
You’re giving yourself another possibility.
And sometimes, that’s enough to help us see our next step a little more clearly.
Moving forward, I invite you to:
Start small.
Choose something you’ve been struggling with, but it doesn’t need to be a big challenge. In fact, starting smaller can make this easier to practice.
Give it a number.
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “I feel really discouraged about this” and 10 being “I feel really good about this,” where are you today? Write down your number. There is no right answer.
Catch the thought.
When you notice yourself thinking Here we go again or I can’t do this, pause. Ask yourself, Is there another thought that feels a little more possible?
Check in next week.
Give yourself another 1-10 rating. Maybe the number has changed. Maybe your perspective has shifted. Maybe you’ve taken a small step you weren’t taking before. Notice what happened.
You don’t have to completely change your thinking to create a shift. Sometimes we simply need to make a little room for another possibility.
That’s the practice.
One thought. One small shift. One next step.
Affirmation
I am making room for possibilities.
Sounds for Your Soul
Sometimes a song finds us exactly where we are. I hope this one brings you a little reminder to be gentle with yourself.