Think Differently
I'm going to keep saying it. "Think differently." Because this is how you change things. This is a fundamental piece you have to embrace and practice if you want change to happen. If you want to get unstuck. If you want to recharge, if you want to re-energize, you have to start by thinking differently. Because when you can think differently, you're training yourself to approach challenges from a different perspective. Life will always be full of challenges and the better you get at handling them, the better your life will be. Turn a challenge upside down and it becomes an opportunity. When you can start seeing things as opportunities instead of obstacles, your life changes dramatically.
When life hits you hard, the first thing you're most likely going to do is have a negative emotional reaction. That's natural. But the sooner you can set the emotion aside and put the problem in perspective and develop strategies--the sooner you'll find yourself less anxious and less stressed.
So how do you train yourself to start thinking differently?
Stop what you're doing. If you're caught up in emotion, let it out (preferably privately). Have a good cry. Get angry. Plot how you're going to get revenge. Then STOP. Shift gears.
Shift into the present. The past has passed. What happened, happened. Focus now on ONE thing you can do to change your situation. You can't change what happened, but you have a choice in how to respond. Sure, there's probably 12 different things you need to juggle and could do, but focus first on ONE thing that will bring you a positive outcome--whether that be a short term or long term fix, just go get a win, even a little one!
Act with positive intention. KNOW that whatever challenge you're currently facing is a building block to give you the experience and wisdom to move to a new and better level. Instead of looking at challenges as roadblocks you have to KNOW that these are meant to re-direct you to something better. When you can change your thinking to looking for that something better--the something better always appears. (Here's an exercise to practice...every time you go out, look for a red vehicle. Keep track of how many red vehicles you see in a day. You may not have noticed them before. Start noticing them now.)
Start listening more closely to your intuition. It's part of your internal guidance system. When you can start tapping into--and trusting--this guidance system, you start developing a whole new level of thinking.
To think differently requires practice. What I've listed here is just a start and it's what I've used and continue to use. Once you start implementing a different way of thinking, you start solving problems more quickly and effectively. And when you start solving your problems more quickly, you start having less stress! And when you have less stress....you feel like celebrating. Bring on the chocolate!!!
And if you find yourself needing more help in thinking differently, I invite you to a complimentary coaching call with me to explore where you are and ways to move forward. http://kathydavenportimagedesign.com/schedule-a-complimentary-session
Cheering for you!