Becoming Mindful of Your Mind
I recently completed a Life coach Certification with The Life Coach School www.thelifecoachschool.com I learned some very practical tools for managing thoughts. I knew the importance of my thinking and was mindful of my thoughts, yet I couldn’t uncover some of the thoughts that were limiting my life. I learned a process called the "Thought Download"
Well before I completed my coach trainings , I knew the importance of my thoughts, yet I didn’t understand how I could UNCOVER them. Not until I tried a simple process I learned called the "Thought Download".
In a "Thought Download", you spend a few minutes daily to reveal thoughts on any topic.
With paper or computer/device on hand, take a few deep breaths, and bring a topic to mind, one that is troubling or activated right now, such as
your health and body
your career or financial life
a worry or concern in a relationship
an upcoming or event or procrastination
Now write down your thoughts as they arise. Free write without attempting to get it right.
Relax and allow for them to come up. Get them out on paper.
Now, this can be enlightening, but also unsettling, (that’s why these thoughts stay buried).
Once out on paper they can seem more separate from you.
THEY ARE NOT WHO YOU ARE. It’s simply the content of your mind right now.
Most thoughts arise from past conditioning, and VERY OFTEN DO NOT SERVE US.
Once thoughts are known, you can question them.
Is this thought even true? How does it make me feel?
This is a great starting point to work with a coach or a therapist who can help you develop a more empowering and helpful set of thoughts that serve you.
"Peace BEGINS within"
This process of a “thought download” is a powerful starting place for more peace and compassion in our world.
You can reach your goals
How many times have you heard someone say, “I want to start exercising” “I want to lose weight and feel better” “I want more time
with my family” “I want to get organized” or “I want to make more money”. These desires or goals are often expressed out loud.
Yet despite these declarations, many people can’t get beyond the point of wanting. What is going on here? One place to look is the desire itself.
How many times have you heard someone say, “I want to start exercising” “I want to lose weight and feel better” “I want more time with my family” “I want to get organized” or “I want to make more money”. These desires or goals are often expressed out loud.
Yet despite these declarations, many people can’t get going.
Vague statements about what we want
“I want more time with my family”
changes to:
“I will get off my phone between 7:00pm and 8:00pm to sit down and play cards or games with my kids.”
I will create a more flexible work arrangement that will allow me to pick up my children from school each Friday.” Let’s look at the questions you can ask to be more specific. If you’re having trouble, begin with the dissatisfaction, and then switch your focus over to what you want it to look like. Ask how much, or how often? What will you do with it? When and with whom? What will it look like in more detail?
Another way to gain more clarity and focus is to ask yourself the following… What about this goal is important to me? What am I prepared to give up? What’s the purpose of this goal? What are the rewards I will experience after achieving it? Who can help and support me? Can I measure my success?
Once a goal is clear, it’s easier to break it down into action steps and start taking action. Yet there are still many people who get stuck here. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we still resist taking that first step, and it’s not always clear what the first step should be. That’s okay; it doesn’t mean you need to abandon the pursuit of your true desires. A good friend or paid professional such as a personal coach, personal trainer, or personal organizer, can make a difference. You can work with others to help you break your goal into smaller (baby) steps. Life is a journey, and setting goals and working toward them can be a part of the adventure. Achieving goals is a process we can all choose to participate in if we’re willing to be persistent and consider a new perspective.
Do you need a Coach Part 2?
HOW DO YOU slow down and question your thoughts? And why would I want to? Learning how to slow down is challenging in itself in today’s world, but it’s more important than ever for us to SLOW DOWN so we CAN GO FAST.
“When I move half as fast, I notice twice as much” Tara Brach
HOW DO YOU slow down and question your thoughts? And why would I want to? Learning how to slow down is challenging in today’s world, but it’s more important than ever…..
that we SLOW DOWN so we CAN GO FAST.
It’s our current thinking that is giving us our current results. If we want to change our results, we need to change our thinking.
“When I move half as fast, I notice twice as much” Tara Brach
Our thoughts are mostly unconscious yet they are running our life. Read that again!
Bringing these (often dark) thoughts to light requires us to slow down, identify the thought and ask “Is this thought true? And does it serve me?
Notice these typical thoughts
I don’t need a coach, I can do this on my own.
Ugh! It takes too much work to change;
I can’t afford a coach.
I will be “found out”
I’m too busy with my life
How do these feel as you read them? .(possibly stuck, discouraged, hesitant, guarded, threatened). There is a negativity bias in our brains, so we react with protective thoughts.
Your brain wants to avoid anything new.
Now try these thoughts-
I’ve tried on my own, maybe hiring a coach is next for me.
I want to see positive changes happening in my life.
I can decide to try one time and see.
Investing in my mental/emotional health is a smart move.
I can take time to devote to my personal growth.
Are these less true?
Notice the emotions coming up here: maybe hopeful, balanced, relaxed, open-minded, confident, and optimistic.
Then ask... How do you want to feel?
Since our thoughts are impacting our feelings and our feelings determine our actions, slowing down to question our thoughts with a coach could be the most productive part of your day.
Do You Need a coach Part 1?
You don’t need a coach. You choose to work with a coach because you WANT a coach. Because you want more for your life, for your health, for your relationships, and you have a sense it’s possible. We are living in a time when we are overloaded with information, so many options, yet we are striving harder to get our needs met, to control, to prove our worth, and get clear on what we want. 20 years ago I asked myself this question: “Could I benefit from a life coach?” I did and it’s been a beautiful, winding road of self-discovery. And it’s this ongoing dedication to my own transformation that helps me serve my clients and provide value as a coach.
You don’t NEED a coach.
You choose to work with a coach because you WANT a coach.
You want more for your life, for your health, for your relationships, and you believe it’s possible.
Twenty years ago I asked myself this question: “Could I benefit from a life coach?” I was willing to try and it’s been a beautiful, winding road of self-discovery. The ongoing dedication to managing my mind has transformed my life. It’s my honor to serve my clients and set the stage for their transformation.
So when you consider working with a coach, what’s coming up for you?
Pause, before you read on.
Your thoughts are now traveling through your own filter. (It doesn’t seem like a filter)
Maybe something like this?
I don’t need a coach, I can do this on my own.
Ugh! It takes work to change;
I can’t afford a coach. And What would people think?
I will be “found out”
I’m too busy with my life
Did any of these come up for you?
Our primitive brain is rushing in to save us from danger and keep us at status quo. This plays out all day. Did you know we have 60-70 thousand thoughts a day? And most of them are not serving us. This is how it goes, thought after thought, day after day.
The power comes when we can slow down and question our thoughts.
And ask: “Is this true? And does it serve me? ”
The skill of witnessing thoughts, can be learned, and can be life-altering.
To be Continued….. Do I need a Coach Part 2
What is life coaching anyway?
There’s some confusion about what a life coach is and why you’d hire one. We humans benefit from an objective viewpoint, honest feedback, and some accountability. Our friends and family will not serve that purpose. Having a conversation with a coach is very different than any other interaction. If you have a large goal or an area of growth that is triggering your fears or you’re not addressing an underlying problem, a life coach can help.
There’s some confusion about what a life coach is and why you’d hire one. We humans benefit from an objective viewpoint, honest feedback, and some accountability. Our friends and family will not serve that purpose. Having a conversation with a coach is very different than any other interaction. If you have a large goal or an area of growth that is triggering your fears or you’re not addressing an underlying problem, a life coach can help.
You can be a highly functional person and seek the help of a coach. They are ready to go for more, and not more stuff, but more connection and fulfillment. And if you think it’s extra, or selfish, think again. There is great benefit to your loved ones when you raise your self-awareness and show up as the loving presence you are. Working with a coach will help you focus on what you do have control over, and leave the rest alone. You’ll learn how your own response to your life circumstances is what’s creating the world you live in.
A Year from now will you wish you had started today?
Have you ever started something new, changed jobs, had a baby, or talked to someone to resolve a conflict and then later thought I should have done this a year ago.
What is involved in that thought? Is it your pesky self critic or is it your latent intuition. Did you want this all along but didn’t move on it due to fear? Perhaps the fear was lurking there and talked you out of it, saying “you were not ready yet”, and now your intuition wants to say “I told you so”.
Have you ever started a new sport, or changed jobs, taken a much needed vacation, or had that difficult conversation, only to think “I should have done this sooner”.
What is involved in that thought? Is this the self critic or is it your wiser inner voice?
Did you want to do this all along but couldn’t hear or didn’t listen? Perhaps the fear was lurking there and talked you out of it, saying “you were not ready yet”, and perhaps you were not ready. We can learn to work with fear so that we keep moving forward on our goals and dreams.
What if you could turn down the volume on fear and allow your intuition to more boldly make itself known. What could be possible for you then?
Keep moving forward.
Lean into the stillness.
And keep asking from the voice of love not fear.
A year from now you will be excited that you started today.
