As a man thinketh in his heart so is he, what do you think about all day long?
A lot of people would argue that this statement is wrong and thoughts have nothing to do with real life.
Some people get sarcastic and say “I’m thinking of money, why haven’t I gotten it”?
I’m not trying to convince you that my thought pattern is great and yours is not.
But here is something you should do before you conclude.
Picture this for a moment;
The place you live in right now, how much you earn, the kind of friends you have, your career?
What is it like?
Is it great? Do you love what you see around you? Or is it bad and you can’t imagine this is your life?
Now, try to remember what you think about, the things that govern your thoughts;
I. Why am I so broke?
II. I can ever be rich
III. I’m doing so well
IV. Thank God for all I have right now
V. Nothing good happens to me
Finally, try to match the thoughts you have with the life you are living now. Does it fit?
Our thoughts are powerful, they are strong enough to become our reality either good or bad.
The author of the power of consistency said;
“Our thoughts breed emotions, which leads to actions that produce results.
This implies that when we spend our time thinking about negatives we cause a reaction that mirrors our thought pattern.
What are you thinking about? If it is bad and unpleasant, it’s time to change the narrative.
Why is it easier to believe negative than positive thoughts?
Fear is a thought, the most common negative thought in the world.
It attacks all races, colours, countries and anyone that gives it a chance.
The opposite of fear is courage but, we surrender to fear despite how negative its results are.
A friend of mine shared a shocking experience;
She woke up early for school that morning but she felt weak and unhappy.
According to her, she felt like something bad would happen to her that day. She decided to stay away from school but her roommates persuaded her.
On her way to school, she was quiet! The normal bubbling and chirpy girl was super sad and moody.
Everyone kept asking her what the problem was but she kept saying – I’m fine.
Long story short, the bus they entered had a minor accident.
Everyone came out unharmed but she suffered severe injuries that almost took her life.
What she could have done differently?
Immediately that feeling arises, the first thing to do is pray.
Pick up scripture in the bible and keep repeating it all day long.
She learnt a very crucial lesson about negative thought patterns that day.
Now, she’s the most positive person in the world that I know.
Our thoughts can harm us if we give them power, at first it begins as a harmless imagination…
but when we dwell on it and add fear to the equation, it becomes powerful.
Exercise 1:
Put this 2 weeks exercise to practice, drop your experiences in the comment section.
Write down either good or bad things you would like to experience on a piece of paper.
You can use sticky notes, then place them in a strategic position in your house. Throughout the day, read what you have written down 6 -7 times.
Make sure you read it when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed.
After 2 weeks, share your results in the comment section.
I wouldn’t tell you what to expect, experience it yourself and share your experience with others.
How to build up positive thoughts despite a bad mood?
A bad mood is sure to occur, we live with other humans and think differently.
Therefore, clashing opinions and points of view can lead to arguments and other negative vibes.
A lot of factors can trigger a bad mood, it is your responsibility to choose to control it or let it control you.
1.Learn to live beyond your emotions
One of the best gifts you can offer yourself is to live a life beyond emotions.
When a friend provokes you, the immediate emotion-based response would be to get angry or upset.
You might say or do things that you live to regret for the rest of your life.
If you can keep your cool and scrutinise the situation, your response would be different.
2.Live above your present life situation
Your present circumstance might be sad and everything you detest.
This is enough reason to have negative thoughts and exhibit a bad mood all day long.
If you have ever been in such a mood you can testify that it’s quite unpleasant…
You act rude, mean and say demeaning things about people.
No one loves to be friends with someone who’s always in a bad mood.
The solution is simple…
Don’t focus your attention on where you are, think about all you wish to achieve.
Think about your future self, what he/she does? How they react in a situation, the kind of house they live in, the car she drives etc.
This is a very effective way to kick off a bad mood.
3.Be deliberate about your choices
You are responsible for your life, therefore any choice you make or let people make for you would affect you.
The knowledge of this should keep you on your toes and help you make decisions that keep you happy, sane and peaceful.
If you were wrong, take responsibility for your actions, apologies and make amends.
When you are responsible for your actions, you give people less power over you and the choices you make.
4.Don’t give people the power to control you
Anyone that controls you is your master and you are his/her servant.
Most times a lot of people choose to do the bidding of everyone else just to avoid confrontations.
“If I argue with her, she might stop talking to me”
“He might not lend me money again if I say no”
Giving people the reins of your life can keep you in a bad mood every day.
It’s time to overlook the favours they give you and choose your peace and happiness over anything else.
5. Stop accepting people’s failure as yours too
“That business you want to engage in, I tried it but it didn’t work”
“Okay thanks for telling me”, this should be your response.
Don’t judge yourself based on someone else’s failure, if they failed…
The best you can do is listen to their experience and pick out the things they didn’t do well and do it better.
Of course, you might fail or succeed but you will never know until you try.
6. Stay away from pessimistic people
Pessimistic people are gifted in ruining your day and if you let them, they would ruin your day for the rest of the year.
“Oh the economy is so bad
“You know your business plans never succeed
“Don’t bother trying again, it would be the same result”
You give them power when you listen to them every day and go further to think about the words they say.
Stop! Can’t you see this is ruining your life?
Runaway from pessimistic people if you want to be successful.
7. Respect people’s opinions but you don’t have to accept them.
If someone gives you a piece of advice (solicited or unsolicited), ensure that you show your gratitude.
The fact that you thanked them for the advice doesn’t mean you agree with it.
But there’s no need to argue with them.
Listen as much as you can, thank them and dispose of the conversation like it didn’t happen.
Conclusion
What are the major thoughts that you dwell on day and night?
They can make or ruin your day!
Don’t dwell on sad, pessimistic and negative thoughts, instead replace them with positive, futuristic and happy thoughts.
You can’t say nothing good has ever happened in your life…
The bad might outweigh the good but you can turn that around by changing your thought pattern.
