Did you know that every day you have around 90,000 thoughts? That’s a lot of thoughts for one day and yet I bet you’d be hard pressed to identify even 20 of those thoughts.
Interestingly, according to the experts, the majority of the thoughts you had today were the same as the ones you had yesterday. So what are the things you keep telling yourself?
The thoughts we have and the things we tell ourselves have the potential to significantly influence our emotions and our actions. And wouldn’t it be better to nurture positive, happy thoughts than negative ones?
To kick-start your positive thinking mission, here are the top 10 things we think you should be telling yourself every day.
1. I am doing the best with what I have
Have you ever felt like nothing you did was ever good enough? Like no matter how hard you strived and worked, nothing seemed to come together as you wanted it to?
This is a pretty standard feeling and especially common in high achievers who have to wait for others to catch up with their thinking, ideas or plans. When you have a look at the thoughts themselves though, you can begin to see a bit of a defeatist attitude coming through.
Which is why, telling yourself “I am doing the best with what I have” works so well.
We are all unique and capable of completely different levels and types of things. For instance, Michael Jordan may have been amazing at playing basketball, but if he were asked to sketch a picture he might struggle enormously. But, he’d be able to do the best he was capable of doing.
At the end of the day, that’s the very most you can ask from yourself. Provided you give 100% to everything you do and try your very best, nothing else matters.
And if you’re starting to feel like nothing is working the way it should, then try to practice a little patience. If Steve Jobs had started talking about a device that would allow you to read and send emails, call people, check your social media and surf the web in the 1920’s, people would have thought he was crazy because it would have been ahead of their time.
So whenever you encounter a challenge or obstacle in your path, just think, “I am doing the best with what I have.”
2. I forgive my past, accept the present and release the future
How often do you live in the present moment? And if you are in the present moment, what are you thinking about? Are you worrying about how people are reacting to you, or what they are thinking? Are you concerned about your appearance?
It’s increasingly rare that we allow ourselves to simply ‘be’ in the present moment, without judging or critiquing what’s happening.
More often, we are thinking about past experiences or wondering about what will happen in the future. But truth be told, all we have is now. Right now. Nothing else is certain.
Which is why this affirmation is very powerful for me. It allows me to let go of my past and forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve made. It urges me accept the current moment in all its glory, without judgment or critique.
And it offers me the opportunity to release my worries about the future, because no matter how much I think about it, I can’t change what’s destined to be and I can’t predict what my future will look like.
I can only do the best with what I have, right now.
3. I choose love over fear
Sometimes, it can seem like the world is a pretty scary place. Each day we hear more and more stories of horrible things that are happening, all of which are seemingly out of our control.
For some people, these are signs that they need to approach life hesitantly and fearfully. But for others, this is a sign that the world needs all the love it can get and by choosing love over fear, they can make a difference in their lives and in the lives of others.
What do you choose?
4. I am in charge of my thoughts
Buddhists refer to the untrained mind as the ‘monkey mind’, where thought after thought circles without restraint. And while this is quite normal in the Western world, it’s also something that’s within our control to change.
Understanding that you can decide how you think and what you think is an empowering realization and one that I urge you all to investigate.
A good place to start is through meditation. I warn you though, it’ll be pretty darn frustrating at first and you might be tempted to give up. But as with anything in life, patience and practice is key so keep trying and you’ll see enormous progress.
5. I won’t sweat the small stuff
When you think about what’s worrying you on a day-to-day basis, is it the big things like world hunger, poverty and war? Or is something more along the lines of the mean comment your friend made and the weird look your boss gave you?
We spend a huge amount of time worrying about crap that to be blunt, really does not matter. So this affirmation, ‘I won’t sweat the small stuff’ is awesome because you quickly realize how much is actually in the small stuff category.
And when you release your worries, you open the door to happiness and positivity.
6. Today is going to be awesome
Okay, imagine for a moment that it’s Monday morning. Your alarm is blaring and you have rolled over to turn it off. You open your eyes and the first thought of the day rushes in.
What is it?
If you’re like me, it’s most probably “Dammit!”, “Ugh” or “I think I feel a cold coming on. Maybe I should call in sick.”
And inevitably, when I think this sort of stuff, I have a bad day. I miss the bus, reverse my car into a brick wall, spill coffee on my new top and snap at someone without thinking.
However, on the days that I get my crap together and deliberately think something positive, I usually have a pretty darn good day. And even if bad stuff happens, I respond a lot better than I would normally.
So tomorrow, when you wake up, tell yourself that ‘today is going to be awesome’. You might be surprised how awesome it turns out to be!
7. Nothing is impossible
There’s a quote from Audrey Hepburn that I am absolutely in love with which goes, “Nothing is impossible. Even the word says ‘I’m’ ‘possible’.
Every time I read that quote, my mind implodes a little. How could I have not seen it for so long? Impossible really is possible!
Don’t believe me? Well, say for instance you’ve always wanted to climb Everest, but you’re unfit, broke and unmotivated. It’s impossible, right? Weeelll, not exactly.
Sure, you may not be able to jog up a mountain right now, but if you put in a little training, save up some money and enlist a friend to help keep you motivated, suddenly the impossible becomes definitively possible.
So too with anything else in life. Don’t accept the impossible, instead turn it into the possible. I know you can!
8. Happiness is my birthright
For some reason, during the hard times we can often fall into a pattern of negative thinking where stuff like ‘Nothing good will ever happen to me’, ‘Life isn’t fair,’ and ‘I’ll never get what I want’ start to pop up.
And while we all have hard times, it’s how you react to those times that matter. By taking on the attitude that you deserve to be happy and that happiness is your birthright, you will attract positivity and good will into your life.
And at the very least, you’ll find it easier to get through the bad times and enjoy the good times.
9. I have a purpose
Ever wondered why successful people seem so driven? Well, I think it’s because they believe that they have a true purpose to their life and a reason why they were put on this earth.
I think we are all on this earth for a reason and once you discover your purpose and calling, you will be driven by such passion and dedication that your life will suddenly seem not only meaningful but important too.
As the Dalai Lama said, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room.”
10. I am surrounded by people who love and care for me
And last but not least, every single day you should remind yourself that there are people in your life that truly love and care for you. That there are people who would stop everything, right now, to help you out.
Once your realize this, your life will be so filled with joy and you will be so grateful for the people you have around you.
And why are these people so in love with you? Well, sweetheart, it’s because you’re amazing.
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