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This is one of my very favorite topics to discuss because that very term “becoming aware” has changed my life in so many ways!
I can’t wait to share with you all my story about my awakening to awareness! If you are looking to change your life in any way, the ONLY way to start is by becoming aware of your thoughts.
Our thoughts hold the power to everything in our lives, I will explain why in just a minute…
Since we have been talking about creating our vision for the future, I realized that we really need to backtrack to the very beginning in order to make sure that we are truly ready to create our new vision for our lives. There is one step that is ABSOLUTELY necessary to take in order to be able to change your future in any way.
This step is so important that I want to be able to give you the right tools that you will need to help you find what you’re looking for in your life and create your new vision for your future! I know that these tools that I will share have helped me so dramatically in my past, and I know that they can help you too!
Quick question for you all first….
Where are you in your life right now? Are you generally happy with your life or looking for a change? Think about that for a minute…just let that question sink in for a bit.
Have many of you ever been in such a place in life that you went through the motions in life but weren’t really feeling what life was really all about?
Waking up going to the same job each & every day, going through the same schedule dreading each & every moment?
Do you have days that your lacking emotion…not sure if you were happy or sad? At the end of the day you were wondering what the heck happened with your day?
Or are complaining about everything that is going on in your life? Complaining about the people around you, your home, your finances, your weight, etc.? Or have you suffered a tragedy or loss that left you wondering how to even take your next breath? AND…you keep wondering why in the world all of these terrible things keep happening to you?
Unfortunately, I have been in all of these positions before, several times, & I know that if you’re looking to change your life then you must be or have been there at some point too!
My Story to finding awareness.
I, like so many others, was just trying to survive my crazy life! My family, children, & I had been through a lot of grieving & sadness, & it had definitely taken its toll on all of us.
Most of the time, I was a pretty positive person & enjoyed life, but after suffering several tragedies in a row, I had changed. I remember thinking “Why me, why us? How are we going to get through these situations? How much more can we take…?”
I remember waking each morning wondering how I was going to have the energy to make it through each day, I was complaining about just about everything at that time, I felt that I had no emotions left. I couldn’t really feel great about any situation that was coming my way.
Don’t get me wrong, I was always thankful for my children, husband, parents, brothers, family, & my health. I always found so much love & joy in them.
I knew all too well that life could be taken away at any moment so I tried to savor every moment with them. Even with knowing that, trying to keep my emotions & head above water was tough!
The rest of my life was just not coming together very well at all! It seemed that things were constantly going wrong, there was so much drama, too much negativity, & not enough joy or happiness!
In order to keep my family healthy & happy, I needed to make some type of change & quickly. I had 3 young boys at that time to take care of…..AND I had just found out that I was pregnant with my 4th little miracle baby! I knew I needed to find some strength from somewhere…..
So, I found myself on that crazy path of self exploration. I was so incredibly desperate for a change that I submerged myself into reading, studying, exploring, trying to find anything to give me hope! Something to recreate my happiness!
I read just about everything in sight & am so grateful that I did!
Each & every day that I read new articles, books, etc., I started discovering so many amazing tools & I began to implement them into my daily life, which started the entire process of change within me!
One of the many & most amazing gifts from this experience was the discovery of becoming aware of my thoughts!
I will never forget reading that first book about the power that our thoughts hold. It was so incredibly enlightening!
That saying, “Thoughts become things” will FOREVER stick with me!
Each & every page that passed, it seemed like more of I was reading about magic. If your thoughts were as powerful as they say then I realized real quickly maybe that is why I was in the place that I was in.
I started having this overwhelming feeling of guilt, as I was realizing how “stuck & unappreciative” I had become. I was so callused from the pain & hurt we had experienced in our lives, that I literally wasn’t looking around at any of the good & beauty in my life. I was only seeing, feeling, & finding things that caused more stress, & more grief and of course that is where my thoughts were focused.
For the first time, I realized I was the one causing my own pain & unhappiness.
That was definitely a defining moment for me, but also very freeing at the same time. I was learning that I was the one in control of my own happiness & all things that were coming into my life!
It truly lead me on an eye-opening journey which helped me to find the beauty in every little thing in life & in turn, it started the healing process within me.
This is exactly what I want for you!
Sounds simple, right? We should always be aware of what we thinking…but are we?
If only everyone knew how incredibly POWERFUL our thoughts were they would truly be so careful with each and every one of them!
For starters, let’s see how you are thinking right now & I want you to be really honest with yourself… 🙂
What would you say your thoughts are primarily? More on the positive, optimistic side? Or the negative pessimistic side?
Are you generally grateful for your life and the things in it? Or do you generally think about what is missing in your life?
Are your thoughts more “lack of “thoughts or “abundance thoughts?”
How are your emotions towards each day? Do you complain about each day or are you excited for each day?
Are you able to sleep or are you always complaining that you don’t get enough?
Do you feel grateful for the money in your account or complaining that their may not be enough?
How about your daily schedule? Does it make you tired just thinking about all that you have to do, or do you rise in the morning ready to tackle it?
It is so easy getting in that space isn’t it? The space of just “being”.
If you are truly just “being“or just “surviving” life, you need to take some time to think about what you are thinking. Sound funny, right?
This may be your entire problem of why you can’t find true happiness, achieve your goals, have love and excitement in your life. This may be why you see yourself as a victim in life, unlucky, unsuccessful, unable to feel joy, hope, love, etc…
Because you are more focused on what you don’t have instead of what you do have.
Once I learned that thoughts truly do become things it became a total life changer for me.
It took me time to believe that thoughts become things. At first I doubted it. How could that really be true? How could I have created all of these bad things in my life?
So…I set out to test it. I was aware of my thoughts all of the time. I would try to test the theory and to my surprise when I did this I found it to be true!
I realized that I was stuck in that mindset of:
I can’t do that?
We can’t do that, we don’t have enough money.
I don’t have that, or I don’t have enough.
Nothing ever goes right for me.
We will never be able to afford that.
I am fat, I can’t lose weight.
I am so unlucky.
HOW SCARY is that? Especially when talking about thoughts becoming things? Well, no wonder I wasn’t living my life abundantly! Right? I was dictating everything coming in our out of my life….How sad.
I literally could go back through my life and write what my thoughts were at this point…I could see the patterns. It frightened me but enlightened me all at the same time. So…I put my thoughts to work….I decided to see if this really were true.
I would do simple things like:
When my kids and I would leave the house to go to the store, we would start thinking that we would get front row parking at the store. We would think about it all the way there, and sure enough once we got there we had front row parking!
That is when things started to change. Simply from my thoughts. It became somewhat of an obsession, a game. Something to prove right or wrong. BUT overall it was amazing because it was genuinely true.
What you really think about comes true. Maybe not overnight, maybe not in a month, but if you continuously think of something you want or something you want to do…it will come true!
This is why this is such an important topic when talking about change. If you want to change your life but you don’t want to change your thoughts, your life will ultimately stay the same.
AND…I am so excited to tell you it isn’t hard to make that change in your lives to start redirecting your own feelings, start really feeling, loving, & truly being happy, having hope again & it all starts HERE & NOW! 🙂
Step 1 to becoming aware of your thoughts:
1. Take time throughout your day to be still, quiet and really become aware of your thoughts!
I know that sounds so easy, but it is really challenging & takes a lot of work! I am pretty high energy and this “being still and quiet” part was tough, BUT a total game changer for me.
I want you to take this first couple of days to really be aware of your thoughts & feelings. It is SO IMPORTANT because all other steps will be building from this platform, I promise! 🙂
Every morning & throughout your day pay close attention to:
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you awake in the morning?
How do you feel?
Are you tired? Do you jump out of bed or dread it?
As you get ready for your day….what are your thoughts? Good/bad?
As your driving to work, school, or wherever you may go throughout the day, be aware of your thoughts. Is there traffic, does that make you angry? Does the thought of going to work make you feel unhappy, unmotivated? When you open the door to your workplace, how do you feel inside?> Happy, excited? Maybe sad, frustrated?
Are you stressed, tired, anxious? Or happy, excited?
When you’re talking to others, how are your conversations? Are you excited and positive or more nagging, complaining, talking about others in a positive way,or judging them?
What about your conversations with your friends, & family? What do you talk about? How is your mood?
Do you have goals and dreams?
How do you feel before bedtime? What are your thoughts?
Basically, are you focusing more on your “lack of” or your “abundance?”
I know this seems so easy…..but our minds never stop & we have 50,000 to 70,000 throughout each day! Crazy, right? So just trying to be aware of our a tiny portion of our thoughts can really make an amazing difference in our thought patterns!
If you want to make this change you HAVE to become aware of your thoughts, because without really mastering this step you cannot find the source that you will need to change in your future!
I am continually mastering where my thoughts & I am amazed at how fast your thoughts can drift! I find it fascinating & I LOVE working on this to continue to train my brain to go to the right thoughts!
My friends all know that I am a “work in progress” kind of girl & I love them for that! 🙂
Step 2: Assess your home life, your family.
This is also really important because we all know the root of our homes well-being stems from us, the parents or adults. Right? With that being said, how much would you say our thoughts affects what they say and do?
Pretend you are a fly on the wall in your house (crazy, I know), however, just roll with me for a minute on this. Listen to your children for a moment while they are getting ready for school, dinner, or bed.
What are their moods like?
What are they saying?
Are their actions more positive or negative?
Do your children complain a lot?
Would you say their overall tone is more negative than positive? Are they using words, I can’t, I don’t want to, I won’t, I am not going to…?
It is very interesting isn’t it?
I remember reading something like this for the first time many years ago. It sparked my attention so much that I remember just observing my own kids at the time.
When I was thinking something negative I didn’t have to speak it, however, my boys felt it through my actions. If I said “I can’t do” something, they immediately said the same. If I thought about or talked about not having enough, they immediately did the same. We are teaching them to have the same thoughts….whether it is, “lack of thoughts” or “abundance thoughts” they learn from us. So, we might as well ne teaching them correctly, right?
Watch how they talk to each other when you aren’t around, they will talk and act just like you do when you are. It is CRAZY how much our thoughts and words affect others….
Step 3: Take time to reflect and take notes!
Look back throughout your life. Have there been times when you were focused on the lack of money, and of course there was always a lack of money because that is where my thoughts were!
Relationships, when I focused on where they were going wrong, or what drives me crazy, then that is what I got more of.
My health. when I focused on the negatives aspects of my weight, skin, etc., I just got more of what I was focusing on. The negatives aspects!
Career. Exactly the same. If you are focused on what you do not like, you will get more of!
If you think that bad things are always happening to you, they will continue to happen to you.
What about traffic. Complaining while you are in traffic will only bring more.
When you think you did horrible on a test, or that you will do horrible on a test, you most likely did or will fail it!
If you think you just can’t lose weight. you most likely won’t be able to because that is where your thoughts are!
It is very important at the end of each day, or even better, throughout the day to write down how your feelings!
Most of us go through the days unaware of what are emotions or thoughts are….but when you become aware your able to see which thoughts that might be holding us back from happiness, love, etc… it is a giant puzzle that we will put all together in the end…I promise! 🙂
Step 4: Have Gratitude.
While you are working on becoming aware of your thoughts, remember to be grateful for what you have in your life at this very time!
Gratitude is another very powerful tool that I use along with mastering my thoughts. They truly go hand in hand with each other which creates even more power! I am a firm believer in this. These two things have totally redirected my life and I am SO grateful that they did!
I am going to talk more about gratitude later. For now you can read about the power of gratitude in my previous blog posts below.
Just remember that in order to receive what you really want in life, not only do you have to be very aware of your thoughts, you must have gratitude for what you have in your life right now! Super important!
I promise that it will work if you! Trust me, you have to take this chance on yourself, your worth it, & everyone no matter what they are going through, can find happiness within themselves. You just have to believe it & start the process! The first step is always the hardest!
I know you can do it, your worth it, & remember EVERYONE deserves to live an extraordinary life & now is the time to make become aware of your thoughts so we can move closer to creating that life for you!
Thanks so stopping by! Much love to you all!
We got this guys! It is time to change our thoughts!!!
XOXO,
Kristi