I am done with resolutions. How many people actually follow through with them? More times than not, most people fold by February. It has become a “running joke”. In order to make a true change in your life, mastery is needed. When I speak of mastery , I am referring to mastery of your mind, specifically, thoughts and emotions.
Anyone who is successful has to have a certain degree of discipline. Mind is everything. Each situation that you find yourself in is a result of your thinking.
Discipline your mind. Train yourself to pay attention to your thoughts. Choose the ones that energize you as opposed to the ones that are toxic.Perception is everything. Remember that however you perceive yourself and your surroundings determines what shows up in your life. It is all an extension of you.
Know let’s go back to my blog title. To be honest, I chose it in order to get your attention. Actually there is nothing necessarily wrong with resolutions. If anything, this post deals with getting to the root of why most of us tend not to follow through with them. We are also looking at possible ways to change that pattern once and for all.
Everything goes back to consciousness. Consciousness leads to empowerment.Empowerment leads you towards establishing success in any area of your life on your terms. Your thoughts are directly tied to your perceptions which determine your emotional response. Your emotional response sends the signal. The end result are the people and situations that “arrive” in your universe. As human beings, we have an advantage.With practice, we have the ability to grow in this process of mastering our thoughts. Let’s look at some possible solutions. As we look at each potential solution, keep in mind that I am also focusing on examining ways to apply these exercises towards accomplishing your goals. Once you establish the practice of disciplining your mind, you will be able to accomplish any goal that you set your mind to accomplish.
Practice Meditation
One of the numerous benefits of meditation is learning to become more aware of thoughts.You learn to pay attention to them without being consumed by them. You are not your thoughts.
Identify Negative Thoughts
Pay attention to the negative thoughts. These are the thoughts that produce emotions such as anger, fear, insecurity,sadness etc. If you find yourself in any of these states of mind for long periods, they begin to produce toxicity in your physical being. This process leads to disease or dis-ease. These emotions result in stress which can disrupt the natural ,harmonious processes of the body. At this point,acknowledge the thought without attaching yourself to it. Once you realize that you are not your thoughts, especially the negative one’s, you become empowered. At that point, you can make a conscious choice to allow it to move on in order to make room for the thoughts that serve you.
Where Do the Negative Thoughts Come From?
Ask yourself why do you respond this way? Are your thoughts based on truth? You don’t necessarily have to be a therapist to figure this out. Are you being biased? What about the other people involved? What is your history with them? What is their story? Is it the same as yours? Each of us has a backstory as well as a different way of interpreting it. Try to put yourself in their shoes. Perhaps give each of them the benefit of the doubt that they are doing the best that they either know how or are conditioned to do. Never allow anything or anyone outside of you to determine your emotional state or sense of worth. You and only you can decide therefore train yourself to stop taking things so personally. The only absolute truth is the one that you accept.
Look for the Positive
Practice looking for the positive side of every situation that you find yourself in especially the most challenging ones. This is especially effective when pertaining to accomplishing goals. Our challenges can derail us off course from success. Make the decision that whatever shows up in your life is their to test your resolve. How committed are you? How clear is your vision? Challenge is part of life and it is there to help us grow.There is no arrival. Consider life as a great school in which you are determined to learn. The more you learn and apply, the more you grow and evolve. You choose your destiny. It is your nature to create. However you perceive what shows up in your life determines what it becomes. Create consciously and responsibly. Thoughts do become things. There are no exceptions. You are the creator of your universe.Despite appearances, it exist to serve. The mind is the key. Once you master that, it is impossible to truly fail. It is simply another lesson leading to the eventual mastery of any situation that you find yourself. This is a daily practice.
Visualize the Intention, Then Set It
This applies to both goals and every day situations. What does your perfect day look like? What does the accomplishment of your goal look like? Which emotions do you identify with while visualizing the end result? Use your emotional response to assist you in creating the ideal scenarios.
As your confronted with momentary challenges, remember to single out the negative thoughts, dismiss them and replace them with thoughts of positive outcomes. Expect solutions. Look for the best in each person involved. After applying these steps, practice visualizing conclusions that are win-win for everyone involved. Imagine each participant being happy with the end result. Once you have established an ideal vision , do not waiver. To set an intention, you have to make up your mind concerning the desired outcome. Do this despite appearances. Appearances are a result of past intentions whether you realize it or not. They are not based on absolute truth. Your thoughts determine that. You can set daily intentions. You can wake up each morning and visualize what your day will look like.This process applies to both short and long term goals. Once you discipline your mind, anything is possible. This is the key to everything. Consider it fruitful labor.
These are just some examples of steps leading to mastery. Mastering your thoughts and emotions are vital for the achievement of self mastery. Self mastery is necessary for accomplishing any goal as well as living an overall fulfilling life. As I wrote earlier, there is no such thing as arrival when it comes to self mastery. Each day brings with it both challenges and opportunities. Both of these situations result in growth if we take advantage of the opportunity. Once you set your mind on success, the right actions follow. It is impossible to fail. The only way that you could is if you decide to be lazy minded. By doing this, you assume the role of the victim. Regardless if whether or not you have been victimized, you are never a victim unless you choose to be one. Become a master of self as well as a student of life. Be determined to learn and actively apply what you learn every day. In doing this, you assure success for yourself. It will be virtually impossible to fail. Progress becomes a habit. You won’t have to wait till the new year to set resolutions because you will already be about it. Each year will be a continuation of ongoing success. It will become your lifestyle. To your continued success… Until next time…
Self mastery is the foundation of continuous victory. Remember that there is no arrival. Each day set your mind to win.Practice, Practice,Practice….