Turn Your Thinking Around

We are in the midst of the worse times or of the greatest opportunities. How we are affected really depends on how you decide to exercise your thoughts. One thing I observed when watching friends, neighbors, co-workers is they often reacted to life events, others actions, and news by magnifying the negative events resulting in fear, anger, withdrawal, and paralysis.

Let me be the first to state we should never deny a negative fact when it occurs. Yet we need to find ways to protect ourselves from magnifying the negative impact. The greatest asset we have is our ability to think and decide how we will react or respond to an outside influence.

This is where preparation beforehand comes to our rescue. We have to make a conscience thought that we will not allow anything decide what we think, say or do. We must consciously make the decision after pausing in short or researching in length to make our own choice.

There are mental exercises we can do to help us prepare. In the form of what we speak to ourselves to guide our thoughts. These are best to use with little things in life first as practice.

First, make sure to not make assumptions when you do not have facts. You can tell yourself, “I don’t know, what I don’t know. Until I know, I will not assume”. Let me give an example. With job environment, there can be great anxiety at the thought of losing a position. While rumors may abound refuse to decide a conclusion that you don’t know to be factual. Do not allow fear to guide your actions. Decide not to waste time with an assumption. Pause and allow the first impulse to go unspoken.

Secondly, ask yourself, “What is here that I can control?” Understand at that time you can control what you choose to think. You have the right to have no specific thought. Using the same example of a possible job loss you can decide to begin planning (if you have not already) alternatives. There is no profit, advantage, or hope in attempting to control what you cannot. Use prayer for those things. Focus on the next deliberate actions you must take. That is the ability to think of next steps. To work toward an alternative.

Thirdly, make a choice to ask yourself, “What do I want to do with what is happening?” You can always choose to be still until you can move in a direction that is your choice. This where you take inventory of what is readily available and build on top of what you have. This where the initial shock has passed and you choose to be occupied with what can be, as opposed to what cannot. For example inventory your strengths, your network, and remember things for which you are grateful.

The whole idea is that you are calming yourself so that you are not overwhelmed and you are not by default giving away your power of choice but reserving the right to keep your mental health.
Don’t wait for the “Big One”, as Fred Sanford (Red Foxx) used to say.

Practice now to be ready for tomorrow!

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 Hi! My name is Vonzel Sawyer. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. I started blogging to share from my experience, knowledge, wisdom, instruction, and understanding to help persons maxamize and magnify the positive in their life. That is why I used the terms "maximum" and "magnification" and combined them into a single word "maxafication". Just like something can be magnetized or winterized. I want to impact people to live largely and fully each day!

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