Stinkin' Thinkin'!

Is 'Stinkin Thinkin' Sabotaging Your Life?

                              

Happy President's Day! I'm sure most of you are still enjoying the comforts of your BED but some of us are actually at work. So...enjoy your day off! I pray this Monday is amazing for you...and you touch the life of someone else in a positive way.

Pay It Forward: I returned a brand new iphone4 that someone left at a game in Atlantic City. When the gentleman met me to get the phone back he attempted to pay me for returning it. I told him, "No, just pay it forward." I could never take money for doing something that I pray someone would do for ME if I lost something really valuable.

Today I want to blog a little about a phrase I've come to love. I first heard it by way of one of my favorite inspirational speakers, Joyce Meyer. I love her..she's so animated and raw! If you don't know who Joyce Meyer is...Google her. I promise you she will be a blessing! She is hilarious but speaks such truth. Anyway...the phrase, "Stinkin Thinkin" has NEVER made more sense to me than it does at this stage of my life. I talk a lot about the power of thoughts and the impact your mind can have in ALL areas of your life. This is something that I've struggled with. I have literally had to reprogram how I think and I STILL catch myself drifting off into the land of negative thoughts but at least now, I'm mindful of it so it's easier to snap myself right back out of it! In addition, because of this…it’s also very easy for me to recognize when other people are doing it. If you're honest with yourself...for just a moment, I'm sure you can recall moments in your life where your stinkin' thinkin' was the driving force behind an action or inaction that had a negative outcome.

Stinkin thinkin' has caused people to limit themselves in terms of higher education & careers...it has caused relationships and friendships to dissolve, it has caused individuals to fall into depression...feelings of anger, resentment, bitterness...I could go on and on. The unfortunate thing is....your thoughts (thinkin') are a by-product of your life experiences so; in many cases what you are thinkin isn't actually what IS. For instance, if you are always operating from a wounded, self-defeated, hurtful, angry, bitter, guarded & untrusting place...you will always look at circumstances in your life FROM these very places. So you are applying the same type of self-destructive thinking to NEW circumstances. Thus getting the SAME results such as: pushing people away, creating a "safe zone" in your life out of fear someone will hurt you, not applying for jobs, school etc and becoming stuck in self pity....Yes, self sabotage.

 Your thinkin' will cause you to keep reinforcing self-sabotage that in most cases is a subconscious thing. So, because you failed at school BEFORE...your stinkin thinkin' tells YOU that you won't ever be able to succeed. Because you didn't get the LAST job...your stinkin' thinkin tells YOU that I won't get this one either, so why try? Because the LAST person hurt you...your stinkin thinkin says THIS person will too! You will even subconsciously DO and LOOK for things to validate this irrational thinkin! If you meet someone that actually treats you nice and has the qualities of a wonderful partner, you will start to think, "This must be too good to be true...what is he/she hiding?" Or...You look for things that will validate something negative, when there really is nothing there! I use these examples to illustrate how this type of thinkin' can really be catastrophic to your life! Always thinkin' someone is out to hurt you, or you can’t trust people, or that you’re a failure...or always thinkin you can't or won't succeed will in fact make these things a reality! But here is the kicker, in many of these situations...it's NOT the other people....it's YOU. Your thinkin WILL have an impact on your life and how you respond to situations. You may not always realize it or want to own up to it but it does.

So, I challenge you today...EVERY time you start to think something negative replace it with a positive thought. Joyce talks about the Battlefield of your mind... (I highly recommend this book for a great read)...it will show you how your stinkin thinkin' controls your life in so many negative ways. It’s not always easy and it’s very frustrating but the reward will be YOU taking a stance to change the direction of your thoughts and decisions.

Have a super doper week!

Chanel-