What’s on your mind?
Have we ever paused to evaluate what we’re thinking? I mean it’d be a really great habit to develop. Why? Because in my 30 years of study in fitness training and human behavior, I’ve discovered that each day of our lives, we have between 50,000 and 80,000 thoughts. That’s right! Every single day of our lives 50-80,000 thoughts run through our minds. That comes out to between 2,100 – 3,300 thoughts each hour of our lives. That’s crazy-big huh?!
It stands to reason, that with so many thoughts going through our heads on a daily basis that we might want to take inventory to ensure that our thoughts are leading us to a successful future. There’s a saying I’ve used for 17 years now in sermons, school assemblies, corporate training seminars, and with our fitness clients: “Be careful of our thoughts, for they lead to our words! Be careful of our words, for they lead to our actions! Also, be careful of our actions, for they lead to our habits! Be careful of our habits, for they lead to our character! And finally, be careful of our character, for it leads to our future!”
The thoughts we think this week lead to our future.
The thoughts we think today lead to our future. In fact, the thoughts we think right this very second can make or break our future! I’ve met many individuals who see the negative in any situation they encounter. It could be a bright, sunny day and they would comment on how it’s supposed to rain the next day. They are 1/2-empty types of people: seeing the proverbial glass of water as 1/2-empty vs 1/2-full.
In counseling, they’ve admitted to me that they didn’t start out that way, but the habit developed over time. I’ve explained to them that it’s never too late to reverse this negative habit and begin to see life through more rosy glasses.
My Proven Solution:
Three times a day, take note of what we see and hear. Specifically, find a short, positive quote or study-finding; and write it down in big letters on notecards or pieces of paper. Then carry these in our purse or pocket, post them on your car dashboard, bathroom mirror, fridge, bedroom wall, etc.
This is our very own Personal Affirmation. It can be a Bible verse, a quote from a famous author, a line from our favorite movie, something Mom and/or Dad drilled in us, etc. Affirmations are many, we need only to find the ones that highly resonate with us and encourage us.
First thing in the morning, read our affirmation out loud; slowly and clearly. Then do this a 2nd time before our lunchtime meal, and finally, a 3rd time before retiring to bed. Over time, we memorize our affirmation and won’t need to read it any longer, but instead, say it from memory. This is where it gets really good because we begin to say our affirmations, hear them with our ears, and see them in our minds… all at the same time.
BOOM!
“Triple-Threat: The champion’s mindset!”
1. Our MOUTHS say our affirmation out loud, then
2. our MINDS are constantly encouraged to think on it; & then
3. our BODIES relentlessly strive to work toward the success for which we earnestly yearn.
