Kestrel Two Feet

I often find my focus to wandering. This is a problem I’ve had most of my life. It is difficult to stay on track and to remember where I’m headed. You here things like “What you think about is where you will go” The idea is that you are constantly thinking about work, you will forever be working. If you constantly worry about not having enough money, you will always find yourself with more bills than income. In order to flip the script, you must change your focus.

I recently listened to a podcast about going on a mental diet. For seven days, you think only about things in a positive way. This is probably the hardest diet I’ve attempted. It is easy to go on nutritional diet. You’ll still think about the junk food but make a conscious decision not to eat it. Financial diets are similar; you want to go shopping but make the decision not to. With your thoughts, that’s much harder. Learning to control what you think and when you think it, is not something we train or teach.

So how do you start to control your thoughts and emotions? The first step is not get upset with yourself when a “negative” thought pops up. Recognize it and let it move on. Easier said than done. When I catch myself sometimes getting upset over something, I first get more upset for getting upset. It has taken some time, but I’ve started by asking myself why this is upsetting me. This way I can acknowledge the feeling without condemning it. It has also helped me to discover more about what I’m truly feeling deep down.

Another strategy I’ve been doing for a while now is trying to find the positive in any given situation. It’s not always easy. Getting fired is a good example of this. Most people can find nothing positive about losing a job. That’s very understandable. There are always financial problems that arise because of this and finding a new job is harder when you are not currently working. How do you find the positive in that situation. The first thing I would think is “I get some time to relax” followed by “A better job is out there, with more pay and less stress”. This can be a difficult way to think, when you’re trying to pay rent but obsessing about the lack only makes it feel like less.

Finally, I get it out. I try to journal my thoughts regularly. By writing down what I’m feeling it helps me to better understand my emotions and process them. Once I write them down, they don’t seem as big or intimidating. It also helps me to look back and analyze my thoughts, recognize when they start to turn more negative and turn the station to a more positive one.

So, to start your mental diet, first ask yourself why when something negative pops in your mind. Next try to think about what positive may come from the situation. And don’t forget to journal your thoughts regularly.