Rewiring Your Brain - Chapter 8 Squash Your ANTS
Before giving you the tools to sharpen your mindset and retrain your brain to a new normal, it is absolutely vital that you address and work towards removing any and all negative thoughts that you routinely get.
Negative thinking is a survival strategy that causes us to look for what is wrong so that we can protect ourselves against danger, but all this negative thinking is a very bad strategy because our thoughts actually create reality. So, instead of preventing bad things from happening, we are attracting the bad things into our lives.
Negative thoughts severely limit a person’s ability to enjoy his or her life. How you think “moment-to-moment” plays a large role in how you feel - a deep, limbic system function. Negative thoughts can cause you to feel internal discomfort or pain, and they often cause you to behave in ways that alienate you from other people. Hopeful thoughts, on the other hand, influence positive behaviors and lead people to feel good about themselves and be more effective in their day-to-day lives. Hopeful thoughts are also involved in helping people connect with others.
As you begin to squash your negative thoughts, you need to simultaneously feed your brain the fuel it needs to become stronger and more powerful. You can reprogram your brain to have any thoughts that you would like.
Nothing in this world will get you a stronger, clearer, state of mind than starting your day with gratitude. Be thankful and appreciative every single day. Gratitude is not for weirdoes, it's for winners. Successful people are grateful people. Stay away from social media and the news, there is plenty of time in the day to fry your brain. The morning is a time to clear your mind of garbage and power it up with powerful, positive thoughts. Empty out anything negative from the day before, and develop the mindset of a champion. Believe like you will get whatever you can imagine. Say “thank you” in advance for what is already yours. We all have negative emotions and feelings. You have to make a choice. I suggest choosing to not give bitterness, anger, or jealousy valuable space in your mind to poison your life. Instead, be mindful of the thoughts that you allow into your mind.
Now, here is the problem for most people. Most people think about what they don't want and wonder why the negativity shows up over and over again. For instance, if you are always complaining, the Law of Attraction will bring you more situations to complain about. If you are listening to someone else complain and focusing on that, sympathizing and agreeing with them, you are attracting more situations to yourself to complain about. Your entire life can change by focusing on what you do and want as opposed to what you do not want, what you are afraid of, and what you want to avoid.
One way to master your mind is to learn to quiet your mind. Meditation quiets your mind, helps you control your thoughts, and revitalizes your body. The great news is that you don't have to set aside hours at a time to meditate. Just a few minutes a day can be incredibly powerful for gaining control of your thoughts. To become aware of your thoughts, you can also set the intention, “I am the master of my thoughts.” Say this intention often, meditate on it.
Like with any skill, you have a limited natural ability. You have to continuously practice if you wish to better your skill set. If you want to hit the professional level with any skill, that mastery takes commitment, action, and perseverance to be the best.
