In with the NEW! Post ONE

So, I am trying to move my blog somewhere friendlier, but in the mean time, I will start my series "Out with the Old, In with the NEW" over here on bloodspot.

I hope you are thinking of what is working in your life and what is not. To achieve wellness, we must start looking at mind, body, and spirit, so make sure to list your goals in each area and see their connection. Without one of the three, the others will not work in their best way. During this series, I will be talking about habits. Some of them are such a part of your life that you may not even see that they are habits. But we can nudge our habitual ways enough to lead a more clear and efficient life, and therefore a healthier one.

So, if you are starting to read through this, you think my first habit is going to be about physical exercise, right? Or what your are eating and when? Well, of course I am concerned with that, but we have to start from the top. Literally. We have to start with the way you are thinking, and more specifically, the way you are thinking about YOURSELF.

Let me first make sure you understand that I am NO psychologist! These realizations come from my beginning practices in yoga and meditation, which I highly recommend!

Your brain is full of thoughts. Constant thoughts. Thank God for that, right? God made such a miracle in you by creating your brilliant brain. But that same brain can sabotage your efforts. Your thoughts are so much more than just thoughts. Those thoughts become what you think of yourself. What you think of yourself becomes you. Remember that cheesy Saturday Night Live skit "I am good enough, I am smart enough, and Doggone it, people like me."? Well, it's ridiculous in the skit, but it isn't far from the truth. Most of our brains don't tell us those nice things. Most of our brains play tapes of past events, things others have told us, or thoughts we have conjured up through bad events in our lives. Somehow, those thoughts outweigh and overpower the kind thoughts.

So, your next assignment is to be conscious of these thoughts that creep in and how often they happen. Examples would be "You'll never achieve this," "you are not strong enough," "you have no will power," "you are not important enough to spend time and money on," or "you will always be this way." These are just thoughts, and they don't mean anything unless you let them. So, much like in meditation, when these thoughts occur, your assignment is to acknowledge that it happened, and then usher that thought away. There is no judgement because you had that thought. There are no repercussions for having that thought. Just acknowledge it and send it away. You can follow that thought with one that better represents you, such as "I am worth this effort," "I care about me," "I am not my past," or "I am definitely strong enough." One of these statements that works may become your mantra in these days, and as I heard someone say the other day, when you say something nice often enough, it becomes you. Wouldn't it be nice to become one of these thoughts rather than something angry and bitter from one of your old thoughts?

As you begin to clean out the system and usher the old thoughts goodbye, you may see some of them happening less often. Self doubt is normal, and it will come and go, but using this process will hopefully make them happen less often. Hopefully, by setting your brain up for success, you will then be ready to create new habits and usher out the habits that are not conducive to a new, healthier, brighter life.