You know those times in life when you really want to make a
big change, but you just can’t seem to stick to it?
You want to lose weight, but each time you think about exercising, you
get distracted. You need to start studying, but you keep raiding the fridge
instead. You can’t wait to go on your next holiday, but you keep spending your
money on shoes, so there’s never enough to get your plane ticket.
What is the evil little monster stopping you from reaching your goals?
Well, you are. That is, the repetitive thoughts you’ve allowed to cross your
mind over and over, have now taken control of every new scenario. These
persistent and dangerous thoughts don’t want to be ignored, left out in the
cold, or even banished. They keep coming back! Being trapped in the comfort
zone of repetitive thoughts is a fast track to never reaching another goal
again.
Here are 10 common lies your mind might be telling you. Learn to
recognize them so you can weed them out and plant new thoughts, and make
wonderful life changes.
1. It’s Too Hard
This is probably the most common and most annoying lie we tell
ourselves. It prevents us from even trying to conquer a goal. ‘It’s too hard’
simply means we don’t have any faith in ourselves to at least give it a go. At
the end of the day, what’s the point of that? Even if you fail, when you give
something a go you increase your confidence in actually giving things a go. And
you’ll do it again.
2. I Don’t Have The Skills/Time/Money/Talent
When we want to make a change, we start looking around at our options,
and the other people who’ve already succeeded at it. The problem is, our minds
tend to jump on all the reasons why they’ve succeeded, just to tell us why we
can’t do the same. We all have different skills and talents that work in
different ways to help us succeed in life changes, so what worked for someone
else may not work for you, and vice versa. Rather than use someone’s success to
excuse your possible failure, put your mind to good use by using it to leap
over the obstacles, rather than head butting them.
3. The Time Isn’t Right
Our minds, when trying to desperately hang on to comfort and safety, are
very good at saying, “When I have this much money, I’ll change my diet,” or
“When I move to a better location, I’ll start a new exercise program.” The
point is, the only time to ever start anything is right now. Right this second
— not tomorrow, not next week, and certainly not when you win the lotto.
4. I Feel Too Sorry For Myself
When we feel sorry for ourselves, our minds love to run away with all
the things we’re then apparently allowed to do, or not do. For example, “I had
a bad day at work,” means you get to drink a bottle of wine instead of
exercising, to comfort yourself and your frazzled mind. The thing is, if you
change your thoughts on what gives you comfort, you can implement healthy life
changes. In this case, a bottle of wine isn’t necessary to give you comfort,
you’ve just thought it so often that your mind isn’t going to release the idea.
Start thinking about a relaxing walk, a long hot bath, and a nourished meal
instead.
5. I’ve Never Done It Before
This may be a true statement; however, it shouldn’t be the reason you
avoid making life changes. If you’ve never done it before, the only thing
that’s going to happen when you do it is you’ll learn how to do it! See how
ridiculous that particular lie is (as a way of getting out of beneficial
change)?
6. There’s Always Tomorrow
Quite frankly, no, there isn’t always tomorrow. Not because something
bad might happen, but because there’s only ever today. If you want to make a
life change that’s going to benefit you, what’s the point of waiting for
tomorrow? Dive in, take action, and get going right now on the path towards
life change before you end up thinking that there’s always tomorrow — every
single day.
7. I’ll Only Do It One More Time
If we said this statement only once, it wouldn’t be a problem. However,
the mere fact that you’re telling yourself that you’ll only do something
(non-beneficial) one more time, means you probably shouldn’t be doing it at
all.
Once you make a habit of this, it’s harder and harder to move beyond
“one more time” to never again. How about adjusting that statement to “never
again” instead.
8. I Can’t Be Bothered
This is understandable for many reasons. Firstly, if we can’t be
bothered to make a change in the first place, we’re not going to find the
motivation to do it anyway. Everything depends on how much you really want to
do something.
Your desire to create change needs to outweigh the lies your mind tells
you in order to keep you in a state of not bothering. The way to break through
this one is to simply deal with feeling unmotivated and push through it anyway.
Keep pushing, even if it means taking just one, tiny step towards your goal.
9. I Need Time Off
Yes, you do need time off. However, if you’re following a cherished
dream and you allow yourself to be tugged into this particular lie, you’ll
start creating a pattern that will eventually stop the momentum you’ve gathered
to reach your goal. Take time off, but schedule it to work with the steps
you’re taking to fulfil your dreams, rather than using it as an excuse not to.
10. I Don’t Care Anymore
In rare cases, this lie might be true. Most times; however, it’s a lie
you’re telling yourself because the challenges are huge, the work is hard, or
you haven’t seen results yet.
Persistence and consistency are the keys to making life changes work.
You will see results if you keep going. Keep in mind that the only
reason you’re on the path to life change is because you did care — you cared
very much. If you practice awareness of these negative thoughts (or weeds) in
your mind that push you off track, you’ll be on your way to planting new ones
that will ensure you flourish and grow.
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