Thoughts, on purpose

January is a time of year in which many people feel motivated to make changes, to reach for new goals, to learn and grow. Depending on your grief journey, perhaps you are thinking about what is possible for you in this new year.

Granted, most new year’s resolutions are abandoned by February, but we can still appreciate what happens in January. Many people:

• Consider new possibilities
• Stretch their current limits
• Think new thoughts

Whenever we feel motivation, it is always because of the thoughts we’re thinking. (Which is true for any feeling.) When motivation wanes, it is because our thoughts have shifted. Perhaps our limiting beliefs have crept back in, or our focus has shifted elsewhere.

If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you know that we shouldn’t ever believe everything we think. Each of us walks around thinking thoughts that, if we examine them closely, are simply not true. Additionally, each of us walks around thinking thoughts that don’t serve us.

Many people are at the effect of their brain chatter. They don’t realize that it’s within our power to think thoughts on purpose- thoughts that are true, and thoughts that serve us.

I ask my clients to monitor their brain chatter and document their thoughts. Then they decide whether their thoughts are true and useful. They become editors of their own thoughts, deleting what needs deletion, and keeping what is valuable.

We also put our brains to the task of intentional thought creation. We ask our brains to think about what is true and what serves us. We intentionally think those thoughts, on purpose, on a regular basis. After reciting each intentional thought, we pause and feel the feelings it creates.

Like reciting the pledge of allegiance, we recite these thoughts, regularly recommitting ourselves to them. We immerse ourselves in their truth. We enjoy the positive emotions that each thought creates. It’s a beautiful and incredibly helpful practice.

I hope that all 12 months of this new year, you will challenge yourself to consider new thoughts. Ask yourself what is true and what is not. Challenge your own beliefs and consider that the opposite may be true. Notice what thoughts serve you well. And then think those thoughts, on purpose.

If you’re struggling to get a grip on incessant brain chatter, I understand. I did, too. Perhaps your new year’s resolution is to make bigger strides in your healing. Maybe it’s time to try a different approach in order to get different results. If that rings true for you, my coaching program called Life Reconstructed can help. Simply apply here and we’ll see if it’s a fit.