Life Coaching Tip: We humans get very stuck in our stories and our brain stays busy collecting evidence to support our beliefs at such a subconscious level that we don’t even realize that it’s happening. And the worst part is, we then discount or DON’T EVEN SEE information to the contrary. Be intentional about the stories you repeat to yourself and delight in the results. One powerful belief can change everything!!!
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Yesterday morning, as my husband, Jerry, and I were on our way back home from our morning walk at the park, we saw a few cars blocking the road up ahead. We live in a rural area, and this isn’t entirely unusual on the backroads, as people stop to say “hello” to their neighbors.
And so, as we approached these folks, Jerry began to grumble, “That’s right, block the whole road, as if you’re the only people in town.” I too had some judge-y thoughts about it. I mean gosh, how rude!
Then, a police car pulled up and the officer got out of his car and walked over to speak with the other drivers. “Are you kidding me?” we complained to each other, “Now he’s getting in on the middle-of-the-road convention too!”
It was at about that time that we noticed it, simultaneously I suspect… Right next to the impromptu meeting was an enormous horse standing on the side of the road. He was grazing on the lawn and appeared as oblivious to the fuss he had created as we had been to him.
Jerry and I looked at each other and said at the same time, “Oooooh, so that’s what’s going on.” Then we watched for a while as these wonderful humans did their best to wrangle this horse who was clearly enjoying his newfound freedom.
Later, on our way home, we talked about it.
How in the world did we both miss that huge horse standing right in front of us in broad daylight?
Interestingly, we both knew the answer, yet it’s bananas every time something like this occurs!
We humans get very stuck in our stories and our brain stays busy collecting evidence to support our beliefs at such a subconscious level that we don’t even realize that it’s happening. And the worst part is, we then discount or DON’T EVEN SEE information to the contrary.
For instance, Jerry and I had two stories going on here.
First, we had our beliefs about what typically happens in a neighborhood – meaning no horses – especially since, although we’ve lived in a rural area for almost 20 years, we are city slickers at heart.
And second, we also had a story going on about the inconsiderate folks who don’t care about other people’s time. We really zeroed in on this story, embellishing and creating alternative-facts to support our narrative.
It’s crazy, but our stories are so ingrained in us that we literally didn’t see an enormous horse standing just two feet from the road for a longer period of time than I’d like to admit!
And so, this is what I’m writing about today: How when we get stuck in our stories and beliefs, we can truly miss out on all that is possible!
I mean, if that horse represented a big, new opportunity, we wouldn’t have noticed it, even though it was right in front of our faces!
For us to move forward and fully embrace our potential, it’s critical that we become more aware of the stories that don’t serve us, challenge them, and create new beliefs that do.
In last week’s post, I encouraged you to come up with a Word of the Year, to serve as your North Star to help direct your decisions and guide your steps.
Now this week, I want to encourage you to use your word to craft a mantra to repeat to yourself daily. This practice will help you shape a new story that can help you see all that is possible!
Here are some examples:
*If your Word of the Year is “Courage”, your mantra might be: “I am courageous and bold in my pursuit of my best life!”
*And the mantra for “Joy” might be: “Joy is the essence of my being.”
*And the mantra for “Health” might be: “Every cell in my body is alive with health and energy.”
*Finally, the mantra for “Ease” might be: “I am willing to allow this day to be easy and light.”
You get the idea!
And once you come up with your mantra, just like with your Word of the Year, commit to it completely!
Write it on Post-It notes and put them all over your home, office, and car. Look for ways that your mantra is true and let it shape your reality.
One powerful belief can change everything!
As always, I’d love to hear what you come up with! Once you decide, please send me a message, and let me know your mantra.
And if you need some help with this, just reach out to me. I’m happy to help you create a mantra that will shift your beliefs and crush your goals this year!
Even better, let’s connect and talk about life coaching together.
I’m not horsing around here. Your future is important!
(Awful pun intended, sorry, not sorry! – lol)
What’s Your Word This Year?