Reframe your thoughts Archives - Page 115 of 148

Overcome Your Obstacles

Posted on December 10, 2021

Everyone has obstacles to overcome. Some may seem harder for you then their’s seem for them. But how would we really know? Maybe you handle obstacles better than they do so yours seem easier or harder.

If you’ve done some thinking, you know there are obstacles in your way, before you even start. You need to honestly acknowledge those obstacles in your way, consider your options and make a plan to get beyond them.

Mostly, your obstacles will be thoughts in your head rather than physical obstacles. You might think that the issue is with some one or some thing, but it usually just needs a little more of your thinking (see yesterday’s blog).

At least write out your obstacles, even if you can’t fix them right away. If you know what they are, you can arrange things so they do not impede your progress much.

Overcome is step two in my upcoming book – Achieve Anything – The 7 Simple Steps to Shift from Uncomfortable to Unstoppable. A big part of shifting from where you are to where you want to be is getting past being uncomfortable. You either are already uncomfortable with the way things are or it makes you uncomfortable trying to overcome your issues and move forward. It’s ok. Let’s take this step forward together.

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Try Thinking

Posted on December 9, 2021

Seriously. Actually thinking. Not remembering. Not reacting. Try thinking about your thoughts, beliefs and values. Think about your philosophical and political views. You should even think about your habits.

What habits do you have? Why do you have them? What did you have for breakfast this morning? Why?

When someone engages with you, really think about what they are saying and why they might be saying it. Become more curious. Get off auto-pilot. It’s harder than you think at first, if you’re really trying. But it does get easier. Try thinking.

Think is the first step of seven in my upcoming book, Achieve Anything. I’m happy to say the book was sent to the printers earlier this week and pre-ordering should be starting soon. Stay tuned!

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Dream About Your Future

Posted on December 6, 2021

Create some exciting ideas about what you would enjoy in your future life. It could be ideas about next month or next year. You could consider it in terms of years, like 2023, 2032 or 2058. Figure out your age in those years and what you think you would like your life to look like then.

There is no need to spend any time worrying or being concerned about if you will get there or how you will do it. For the moment, just let your mind wander and enjoy the wonderful ideas of your future life. You might have a romantic relationship, spend six or 18 months travelling around the world, or perhaps you have a business that you will create that is doing very well.

Your life is a blank sheet of paper or a clear canvas. You get to decide what you would like to place on that sheet. LeavIng all of your past out of it is an option too. You can recreate yourself or decide that your future won’t simply be an extension of your past. Dream big! Make it exciting.

There are many famous or successful people who came from situations tougher than yours, easier than yours, or just like yours. You can find them and get confirmation that people like you can get to places like that.

If you can choose a great and exciting life, why would you choose anything else? It will not happen overnight but it will happen if you dream about your future, write it down, make a plan and work towards it for at least 5 minutes, every single day. In a few years, you’ll be nodding your head in agreement with me.

Gratitude Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Things Will Get Better Tomorrow

Posted on December 3, 2021

Sometimes our day doesn’t go how we want it to. It could be something we did or didn’t do. Or, it could be something that others have done or not done. It can even just be down to nature or circumstance. There are countless reasons why your day may not have gone as well as you would have liked.

Regardless of why it didn’t go well, things will get better tomorrow. The immediate impact can feel uncomfortable or even devastating. But hang in there. Time is an incredible thing that allows us to heal. Training the mind to have hope and look forward to brighter days is also very powerful.

Don’t dismay. You are stronger than you think you are. Recognise the hurt or the pain. But also know that pushing through will be the best thing you could ever do. You will be stronger and more experienced. You will rebuild and things will go amazingly well. Have faith. Have hope. Rest for a moment, or a day, and then get back on your path to a better life.

I’m cheering for you!

Action Gratitude Health & Fitness Progress Reframe your thoughts

If Life Is Too Easy

Posted on December 1, 2021

You’ll find a way to mess it up. You don’t have to mess it up, but that does seem to be what many people do.

With ease comes complacency. Then you can fall behind the pack. After that it seems easier to play it cool then to try hard to catch back up. Then the seeds of self-destruction are being sown. You shrug it off and say you don’t care, when inside it is eating at you every minute. Envy, jealousy and hate become commonplace in your mind.

To turn that around you need gratitude. Appreciate all the little and large things in your life. Write it out. Don’t just think about it. Write out, ‘I am grateful for….’ It could be ‘I am grateful for my health, heat in my home, food on my table and a comfortable place to sleep.’

If life is too easy, we don’t appreciate it. There was no struggle. We want to prove we had to struggle so we create some drama. There is no need to do that. There is enough you are already struggling with unless you have the body, finances, relationship, education and career you always wanted. If not, get committed and be disciplined every day until those things are 100% how you want them. Until then, be grateful for every moment of being alive and being able to work toward your dreams.

Action Gratitude Reframe your thoughts

Play With What You Have

Posted on November 30, 2021

Sometimes we don’t have all the resources we would like or that others may have. For teams, sometimes a key player is injured or unavailable.

This hit home Monday when I spent the day watching my son Ryker playing with his school rugby team at a major festival. There was a comment made that they didn’t have all their players. The idea seemed to be that they may have done better with more players as there would be fewer tired players, injuries could be rested a bit more and some would have relished the higher level they played at.

I thought that could be true. Their chances of overall success may have been improved. But then I remembered another key player from another team who was still on the injured list since we played them a few weeks ago. What if all the other teams had all their players or more players or their better players?

Life can be quite random. Sometimes it works in your favour and other times it does not. So, play with what you have and do your absolute best with that.

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Progressing While Ageing

Posted on November 28, 2021

Don’t just age. Progress. Improve. Learn. Apply. Achieve. Start now. Think. Act. The time will pass anyway. May as well get producing in the meantime. Don’t just age. Age with progress.

Action Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Time

Self-Discipline Is Key

Posted on November 27, 2021

It feels easier in the moment not to be disciplined. You can shrug it off. Believe that you will do it later. You think you’ll get back on it again later in the week.

After a few weeks of great daily self-discipline will be the opposite. It’s harder in every moment. Though it gets easier with practice. But it is definitely harder to start. But the longer term benefits are great. If for no other reason than you can count on yourself to achieve when you say you will.

Usually though, we find other things in our way and don’t get back to it. A few weeks of that and we won’t feel so good about ourselves. It’s self-inflicted though.

If you find it hard to count on you, who else can? But you have the control to change it all around. Only say things you are actually going to do. Don’t over-commit. Set timers to help keep you on track. Be pleased with each commitment you stick to. Those are powerful building blocks.

Self-discipline is key. And that key will unlock all the doors you can imagine.

Action Health & Fitness Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

It’s Hard To Change

Posted on November 21, 2021

Habits and patterns of behaviour can be incredibly difficult to change. Our environment has adapted to make the habits easier. In addition, our desire for familiarity adds to the challenge of changing. Finally, our self-image will stop us if the new habit is not in aligment with how we see ourselves.

Three things to make it easier to change are as follows:

Adjust your environment to make the new habit easier and the old habit harder. For example, have all your clothes ready by your bed to go exercise when you wake up. Also, put your alarm on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed to shut it off (and therefore not hit snooze and roll over). Put the volume high too so you need to go shut it off or turn it down.
Be patient and know that it will take days, weeks and months to get familiar and comfortable with this new routine. The greater familiarity and better environment will make it all seem easier.
Remind yourself daily, 10 times per day or more, that you are this new type of person. You could say, ‘I am an early morning person.’ You could add, ‘I am a fit and healthy person.’ By saying the ‘I am’ statements many times per day, while also doing steps 1 & 2, you will reinforce this new personality you are becoming. This will improve the chances of your mind and body accepting this new way of being and thriving with it.

Yes, it’s hard to change, but you can make it easier on yourself and increase your probability of success. Start today!

Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Why Choose Anger?

Posted on November 20, 2021

You can choose your focus. Sure, different thoughts, good, bad and odd, come into your mind. However, you get to choose which ones you will focus on or hold onto.

You don’t have to swing at every pitch. You can let a few thoughts go by. Generate good thoughts. Let poor thoughts pass on by.

If you’re not doing this, ask yourself why. Do you enjoy the intensity of feeling? Are you keen to solve everyone else’s problems? All 8 billion people need you to help them?

There might be injustices in the world but your anger won’t reverse them. If you want to calmly write letters, lobby people with power to change things or put forward sensible arguments, then do it.

Try to stay away from the outrage, the anger, the poor thinking and the cherry-picked opinions and facts that keep you as a prisoner in that state of mind.

From what I can tell, the vast majority of issues come from a few people who have made poor decisions in life or else from misunderstandings or accidents. We would do better to reduce our involvement where accidents are more likely to occur. Also, take the time to understand a situation very well, from all sides, before being an outraged judge of it. Finally, volunteer to help kids and youth to improve their thinking and their decision making so they grow up to be good and useful members of society rather then destructive ones.

Redirect that powerful energy. Why choose anger? Especially when you can choose positive impact!