“Now my friends, I want to say this to you. Fill your minds with thoughts about good things. Think about things that are true, clean, right and lovely. Always think about things which people know are very good.” Philippians 4:8 EASY
All things were created from thought. Let that sink in for a moment. Before the foundation of the earth was laid, God had to first meditate, and I can assure you that He wasn’t doing yoga at that moment.
We all have gloomy days – those days when life looks grey and dull. There’s a way I like to tease my wife whenever she’s having a not-so-good day and looks stern. I tell her, “Look at the house, everywhere looks grey because you’re angry, but when you’re happy, everywhere gets brighter, so smile for me”.
In these few decades I have sojourned this earth, I can tell you that negative thoughts have built mansions in my mind. From childhood till now, I’ve struggled with negative thoughts. Stemming from feelings of insecurity to low self-esteem, it has been a struggle.
Things got worse when I realised that I no longer found fulfilment in work. I was going through a transition from one season to another and I got sandwiched in negative thinking. But the knowledge I’ve gained so far has taught me two things:
1. You can be aware of these thoughts
A coaching program I went through taught me to give negative voices a name. I called mine “Ironu” which is the Yoruba translation of “worry”. Whenever I catch myself having thoughts contrary to what God’s word says, I just say, “Ironu, you have started again. Stop it”, and like magic, my mind gets quiet again.
You don’t have to give yours a name or start talking to yourself like you’re crazy, but the bottom line is to know how to catch these thoughts when they come and get rid of them.
2. If you want a different result, change the thought behind it
When I realise that I’m having a gloomy day and I’d prefer something brighter, I know that a thought must have been the culprit. Here’s something to remember;
Thoughts influence our emotions…
Emotions influence our decisions…
Decisions cause action…
Action leads to results.
Many times when we want to change a result, we try to change the action, but that’s futile. Thought is the foundation, which is why Apostle Paul said in the focus scripture to be intentional about what we think.
There are several strategies for dealing with negative thoughts. Some have foundations in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Cognitive Psychology, but the bottom line is simple…
Change your thoughts, change your day, change your life.
Today’s Task: Practice identifying what you’re thinking at different times today. You don’t have to wait for a gloomy day to do this.
Answer This…
What’s happening in your life today? What are you thinking about, feeling or experiencing? How are your health, career, relationships and mood?
Journaling is a practice that helps you articulate how you feel inside without talking to someone. Try it. Answer these questions and see how you feel afterwards.
Source: I get these Growth prompts from my digital journal – GrowthDay.
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