You’ve all heard the famous phrase – Don’t think about pink elephants. Seriously, pink elephants, whatever you do, don’t think about them. I thought I said don’t think about Pink elephants. Oh wow it’s really hard not to think about pink elephants isn’t it?
Ok, who is now NOT thinking about pink elephants? Not many of you I’m sure. That’s a very brief example of how powerful the mind can be.
Have you ever had a cold or the flu? And then your hubby or wife or friend calls you and asks how you are feeling. And of course you want sympathy so you recall how sick you feel, and how much your head hurts, and how you just want to die…… And by the time you get off the phone you feel like death! You’ve talked yourself into feeling even sicker than you were 5 minutes ago.
Can you remember the last time you were somewhere really high? Bungy jumping? Parachuting? Hiking? On top of a bridge or a lookout or a ladder? Or maybe on the roof of your house? It doesn’t matter where. Have you ever been up high and said to yourself, whatever you do, don’t look down? What ends up happening? Of course you look down!
Have you ever been on a diet or sworn yourself off chocolate and told yourself, don’t eat that chocolate, don’t eat that chocolate, whatever you do, stay away from the chocolate? How long has it taken before you’ve shovelled in a glass and a half of creamy goodness?
Whatever you focus your mind on you will get. Think about how bad you feel – you’ll feel bad. Think about how sick you feel – you’ll feel sick. Think about all the things you don’t want – you’ll get the things you don’t want.
So how about focusing your thoughts on the things you DO want. Here is some of my I DO list:
I DO want happiness.
I DO want success.
I DO want freedom.
I DO want love.
I DO want security.
I DO want adventure.
I DO want wealth.
I DO want fitness.
I DO want health.
I DO want generosity.
I DO want compassion.
I DO want empathy.
I DO want dreams.
I DO want passion.
I DO want excitement.
I DO want fresh air.
I DO want inspiration.
Now take 5 minutes and write your own I DO list. Place it somewhere you can read every day for a week. Take note of how you feel at the end of that week. Let me know how you go.