Have you ever thought...: “Ugh, why should I even try?”?
Listen, I know when you’re constantly working to improve yourself, it can be challenging not to focus on perfection.
You may feel like if you can’t do it perfectly, it’s not worthing doing.
Maybe you even consider not doing it perfectly a failure.
So, instead of taking that risk, you avoid doing it completely.
Can you relate?
Me too.
But this kind of mindset not only sets you up for failure, it creates unnecessary stress.
If you’re in the habit of viewing life as all or nothing you're probably in a constant stream of stress.
Even if you don’t realize it.
The good news is, I’ve got 3 thoughts you can try on.
To shift your thinking.
Why thoughts?
Because what you think or what you believe influences your actions.
Internalizing these 3 thoughts will help you feel less stressed.
You’ll feel empowered to handle what life throws at you.
And you won’t be trapped in the “all or nothing” mindset that’s driven by perfectionism.
Plus, I’ve got a download for ya → a mini planner to help you take action on these thoughts.
Thought 1: “The world doesn’t happen to me. I happen to the world.”
YOU happen to the world.
Let that sink in.
In other words, you are not a victim of the world.
Sure, there are unfortunate things that happen -- things that are out of your control.
But in every circumstance, you can always choose your reaction.
You decide how you want to perceive any given situation.
You decide how it will impact your thoughts and emotions.
You control what gets you off track -- or what doesn’t.
You choose.
Your gut reaction may be panic. Or worry. Or stress...
But you can pivot those thoughts.
And you can choose to upload a new thought pattern.
Which of course will guide a different and more purposeful reaction.
Thought 2: “My first reaction doesn’t have to be my final reaction.”
We all have first reactions to situations.
These are sometimes called triggers.
They’re subconscious.
Meaning, you don’t usually get to choose them.
Unfortunately, many people are trapped in the belief that their triggered reaction is permanent.
By believing you’re only as good as your gut reaction, you completely negate your ability to consciously design your life.
What if … instead of seeing your reaction to a stressful situation as black and white... you viewed it as a wave.
Waves start out strong.
But relax as they reach the shore.
Similarly, your thoughts or emotions may initially run strong when you’re stressed.
But after you’ve given yourself a moment to really feel that, it’s time to bring conscious thought into the equation.
When you do that, you’re able to choose a purposeful reaction.
This brings you back in control.
And reduces your stress.
And this is what conscious creation is really about.
Thought 3: “I can time my next step.”
Very few things in life are urgent.
And many times stress is aggravated by a false sense of urgency.
Thoughts like:
For example, let’s say you’re focused on a specific task.
Suddenly, an email comes in.
Or a Voxer message.
Or a text.
You may immediately feel pressure to stop what you’re doing and reply.
But you know if you do, it will interrupt your flow.
So you start feeling stress from this pressure.
Your thought pattern may continue to something like:
But here’s the thing: the person “interrupting” your flow probably had no idea what you were doing.
They didn’t actually “interrupt” you at all.
You most likely interpreted the events through a lens of stress.
You’re also interpreting the events as something that happened at you, or to you.
Newsflash: the world doesn’t happen to you.
You can consciously choose your purposeful reaction to stressful situations.
The truth is, much of your stress has been inflated in your mind.
The cold hard truth? You create your own stress.
There’s good news, though.
You can also be the one who doesn’t create it.
When you realize this, you’ll gain control over the thoughts causing you to feel stressed.
You get to decide when you respond.
You can decide to be slow.
Methodical.
Purposeful.
Considerate.
You can build in time or recovery.
To gather your thoughts and then take decisive action.
The point is - create space in your life where you can marinate on situations causing you stress.
When you do this, you’ll find you experience less stress.
Because your brain has the opportunity it needs to work out solutions.
Okay, now I mentioned I had a download for you.
It’s a mini journal where you can organize your thoughts around the stress in your life.
There’s space for you to assess how you currently handle stress.
And how you’d like to build in space so you can better handle stress.
Start actively training your brain to rely on these three thoughts to manage your stress.
Ok my friends, that wraps it up.
Happy de-stressing!
And I’ll see you online!