It matters what you think! No, I’m not talking about what others think about you. Instead, I’m talking about the power of our minds and what we think about. You may have heard this notion: what you think about comes about. Our minds are one of our most available and powerful resources. Let’s dig in.

I was just listening to the Daily Jay (Jay Shetty) on the Calm application, and he was talking about should versus could. He discussed how asking what we should do engages our brains to rely on what we’ve already learned or experienced. This leads us to choices based on that. However, when we shift that to what we could do, our brains open up to a vast array of other possibilities. I never thought about that before, but it makes sense to me.

Here’s an example I have used in public speaking. Don’t think about a pink elephant. What are you thinking about? Did you see how your mind didn’t even hear the word ‘don’t?’ Now. Think about a gray elephant. What are you thinking about now? Tricky little things, our minds!

Now, think about a mistake you made recently. What was the first thing your mind did when you realized your mistake? Did you say something unloving to yourself? “That was so stupid! I can’t believe I did that!” Or, did you recognize your error and say something loving to yourself? “I see what I did there. Next time I can do this instead.” It feels completely different. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather hear “I see what I did, and now I can do this instead.”

Our thoughts are amazingly powerful. These subtle changes in our thoughts can help us in ways we can only imagine. Our habits about what we think and how we think can sometimes limit us to a certain set of outcomes. Let’s get the most bang for our buck! Use that brain of yours; it wants to help you!

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay