Hello and welcome.
I'm so glad you're here.
Today,
We're going to talk about reframing.
And what I mean by that is we're going to talk about how to change our negative mindset to a more positive one.
But first,
I want you to let go of all the negative thoughts that you've been telling yourself,
All those negative emotions and feelings.
I want you to get rid of them and start with just a clean slate.
So take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
I'm not a kaput.
One more time,
Take a nice deep breath in.
And let it out.
Now I want you to allow your shoulders to soften.
Unclench your jaw,
Let your hands relax.
And for the next few minutes,
Just remember you don't have to solve every problem in your life.
You simply have to be present.
Today's reflection is about something that quietly shapes nearly every part of our lives.
Those stories that we tell ourselves.
Most of us assume our thoughts are facts,
But they're not.
They're merely interpretations.
Your brain is constantly trying to make sense of the world,
So it fills in gaps,
It predicts outcomes,
And sometimes it gets things spectacularly wrong.
Maybe you've caught yourself thinking,
Oh,
I'm terrible at this.
I'm never going to figure this out.
I'm too old to change.
I'm too young to do this.
Everyone has it together except for me.
Those thoughts can feel incredibly convincing,
But just because your mind says something doesn't mean it's true.
Imagine your thoughts are like a news commentator.
Some days are objective.
Other days,
They're dramatic,
Pessimistic,
And desperate for higher ratings.
The good news is you don't have to believe everything that commentator says.
One of the simplest ways to shift your mindset is to become curious instead of judgmental.
So when you notice a negative thought coming into your mind,
Pause and ask yourself,
Is this actually true?
Or even better.
What evidence do I have for this?
Often,
You'll discover that the thought is based much more on fear than it is on reality.
Another powerful question to ask yourself is,
What would I say to a friend who said they felt this way?
It's amazing how compassionate we can be toward other people and how ruthless we can be toward ourselves.
If your best friend said,
I made a mistake,
I'm a complete failure,
What would you say?
You probably wouldn't agree.
You'd remind them that everyone makes mistakes.
And on a scale,
This is not even that big of a mistake.
You'd remind them that progress isn't linear.
You'd probably remind them that one difficult day or one difficult decision certainly doesn't define an entire life.
And you deserve that same kind of kindness.
Another strategy that I use that's highly effective is simply to add the word yet after a discouraging thought.
So for example,
Instead of saying,
I can't do this,
Try,
I can't do this yet.
Instead of,
I'm just not confident.
Say,
I'm not confident yet.
Instead of,
I haven't figured this out.
Try,
I haven't figured it out yet.
That word transforms a permanent conclusion into a temporary situation.
It leaves room for growth.
And growth is where change lives.
Here's another practice you can try today.
At the end of the day,
Instead of saying,
Oh,
This went wrong,
And that went wrong,
And oh,
I'm so stupid.
I can't believe I said that.
Ask yourself,
What went well?
What did I do well?
What did I do right?
Your brain naturally scans for problems because that's how humans survived for thousands of years.
But in modern life,
That habit can make us overlook the dozens of things that actually went right,
That we actually did right.
Maybe it's as small as you drank enough water.
Maybe you finally sent that email that you've been avoiding.
Maybe you took a nice long walk.
Or maybe you simply got through a really hard day.
Those things all count.
Success isn't just the big milestones.
Success is built from hundreds of small moments that most of us never celebrate.
Finally,
Remember this,
Your mindset isn't something that you fix once.
It's something that you practice.
Every day you have another opportunity to notice a thought and to question it.
And to replace it with one that's more balanced.
And then move forward.
You don't have to be Pollyanna and become endlessly positive.
In fact,
That's not even the goal.
The goal is to become realistic,
Compassionate,
And resilient.
It's to recognize that those difficult thoughts are still going to come,
But they're no longer driving the bus.
So as we finish up here,
I'd like you to take one more slow,
Deep breath in.
And as you inhale,
Silently think,
I am growing.
And as you exhale,
Think one thought at a time.
One more breath in,
I am growing.
And out one thought at a time.
Thank you for sharing these few minutes with me today.
I really hope that you carry this with you because your thoughts may influence your life,
But they do not have to control it.
You always have the power to choose the next thought and your next step.
Have a beautiful day.
