Change Your Mind; Change Your Experiences

Change Your Mind; Change Your Experiences

We are mighty creators. What we believe is what we create. In the words of my Breathwork teacher David, “Where awareness goes, energy flows.” Our thoughts directly shape our reality.

If we want to change our circumstances, we must shift our thought patterns. Be mindful of your word choice and where your mind spends its time. Notice your most common thoughts. What do they focus on?

Our thoughts create our emotions, which in turn molds our behavior, which then reinforces the cycles we find ourselves in. We can be our own jail-keepers and our own liberators. All with our thoughts.

Let’s take something that we might think is innocuous as an example: the weather.

Let’s say it’s raining on a Monday morning.

If our thoughts are, “Well crap! No one knows how to drive in the rain. Now my commute’s going to be twice as long because there are going to be accidents everywhere. And I just got my car washed, so now it’s going to be dirty, and this just totally ruined my day.”

Because our minds are always trying to prove ourselves right, this person will then only notice things that reinforce the ego’s need to be right. They’ll see slow drivers, their eyes will be looking for accidents, and they’ll be spun up about the dirt on their car. This will cause emotions like frustration, anger and resentment.

That feeling state alone could ruin a day, but if they take that same energy into work, they might be abrasive with colleagues, which causes conflict and miscommunication. All reinforcing that rainy days equals ruined days.

Now, this same scenario of raining on a Monday, but the thoughts instead are: “I love the smell of rain. Everything looks so fresh after a good rain. The air feels cleaner, and maybe this will keep us out of a drought this year.”

That same mind that looks to prove itself right will then be sniffing the air and admiring the views when the rain subsides. They’ll be feeling grateful and their mind will be grounded. As such, they’ll be more present at working and giving off happy vibes which facilitates stronger connections and community.

Same circumstance, two perspectives and two very different experiences.

Want to change your experience of life? Change your thinking.

And I don’t mean through lofty affirmations that we really don’t believe. We have to look for proof. We have to actively prove to our minds what we want it to naturally believe.

If we have a circumstance we’re thinking negative thoughts about. Find the opposite thought and look for proof that supports the opposite of our natural thinking.

For example: “I hate my body.”

The opposite would be: “I love my body.”

Now look for proof for why you might love your body. That could look like:

“Well, it keeps me alive through all the functioning of organs. My skeletal structure keeps me from being a puddle of skin and muscle on the ground so I can move and do the things I want to do and go where I want to go. My eyes allow me to see and read. Without my eyes, I wouldn’t be able to experience some of my most favorite things. Etc, etc.”

The emotional response to the above thoughts often become that of acceptance, appreciation and gratitude. The result is that we then move through our day with ease and confidence. The higher vibrational emotions give us more energy to move and we naturally gravitate towards activities and foods that nurture and care for a body we appreciate.

Let’s try another thought: “No one wants to hire people my age.”

The opposite would be: “Everyone wants to hire people my age.”

Why might that be true?

“I’ve got stronger work ethic than younger generations. I’ve got more experience and skills at my age than someone younger. I’ve got more life experience which allows me to navigate office politics. I’ve been through every scenario of challenges related to my area of expertise so I already know how to solve them quickly. I’ve made mistakes and have learned from them, which makes me wiser than my less experienced counterparts.”

The responding emotion is confidence and high self-worth, which causes us to engage with others accordingly such as holding our head high and being a presence in the room. Conversations focus on all the strengths we’re bringing to the table. If we feel confident and worthy, others will be confident in us as well.

What we believe is what we see. What we see is what we experience. Open yourself up to the possibilities that come with shifting our mindsets.