Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 184 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! I’m glad you’re here with me and I’m glad we are on this journey together. My message, my goal with each episode is really always one that I hope lifts you but not in a faux kind of rah rah way. I want you to come away with an authentic feeling that you’re ok and wherever you are is right where you’re supposed to be. And I know things can be rough out there but they can also be really really good.
I was listening to Abraham on you tube you know because the podcast was taken down so I’ve found new ways to hear this message. That’s what we do right? I talked about being upset for a minute about the podcast I listened to every morning going away due to copyright issues. But it made me grow. So something not so good happened and I grew from it. That’s what we do right? We freak out a little at first and then we adapt and then we are so glad it happened because of the growth. It happens all the time if you look around at your life. Anyway…sorry I got off on a tantrum.
So I was on YouTube listening and someone was talking about their Grandma saying how this world is so bad and it’s the worst it’s ever been. And Abraham said something that blew my mind and made me just deeply appreciate this life and all it has to offer us. She said yes. This is the worst the world has ever been but it’s also the best it’s ever been. Ok so yeah yeah yeah. I’ve heard that and that seems very rah rah to me. But then she blew my mind. She likened it to a buffet. If you go to a buffet and there are 10 things on it. You will like a few and you’ll not like a few. No big deal right? But if you go to one of those huge buffets and there’s 10,000 things on the buffet…there’s a whole lot you’re going to dislike and a whole lot you’re going to love. That’s where we are isn’t it? There’s a lot on our buffet right now. It can feel very overwhelming. Which is why it’s important to curate what you let in.
So the grandma I talked about earlier…If she is sitting in her chair watching the news all day. Then it would feel like the world is coming to a boiling point because that’s how the news people make money by keeping you glued to their channel through fear.
But picture this.
But what if Grandma woke up, did some morning stretches, listened to a positive podcast, meditated for 15 minutes, worked in her garden for an hour, had a visit from her grandchildren and listened to all the new fun things they have going on, then joined her friends down the hall for a game of cards, where they laughed and talked about the best books they’ve been reading and then she had a really good night’s sleep. When you visited her that day, the conversation would be very different.
Your thoughts have more to do with life than your circumstances.
Everyone has circumstances. These are things that take place over which we don’t control. How we view those circumstances is ultimately what dictates the quality of our life.
I’ll give you an example. The lock-downs for COVID. Now some people actually thrived because of them and some were distraught. Same circumstance. Different thoughts. My older sister is kind of a germaphobe and is an extreme homebody. That’s where she wants to be. At home. The lock-downs actually made her happier than before because it allowed her to do what she always wanted. To be home. For me…not so much. I’m like a caged animal. I couldn’t get out fast enough. I had to really manage my thoughts. She also likes the masks. She wishes everyone would wear them all the time in public so she’s not having to breathe their air. For me. I talked a lot about on my podcast how I didn’t like it at all. If I never see another mask in my life it would be too soon. And here’s the thing. I love my sister so I can look at her thoughts about the masks and staying home and still love her and not judge her because I understand her and I know where she’s coming from with it. That’s much harder to do with strangers. But maybe we could work on that. Giving a stranger the same grace you give your best friend or family. They have their reasons they do what they do and it has nothing to do with you.
The whole world had varying levels of the circumstances around Covid. And there were Very different thoughts about it. Just be ok with letting other people do their thing and you do yours.
And it’s ok if you aren’t a naturally optimistic person, not everyone is. I was born naturally pretty optimistic and I have to tell you I still have to manage my thoughts about things. It’s crazy what your brain will do to you if you let it.
So I’m having my parents for dinner this weekend. They haven’t seen my renovated kitchen and I’m excited for them to see it. Now along with inviting them I invited my older sister, my brother. They will both be out of town so they can’t come. My brain started throwing thoughts at me like are they really out of town or do they just not want to get together? They don’t care about our family connection the way I do. These are thoughts that were coming up for me. I didn’t voice them but I noticed them. Once I realized that those were my thoughts, I noticed how that was making me feel. Not good. But then I laughed and I said “oh brain, you’re silly”. This dinner was at the last minute. I just arranged it a couple days ago, of course people already have plans. And on top of that, Eric and I will get my parents to ourselves. Which is fun too. You see nothing about the circumstance changed. I just changed the way I was thinking about it. We can do this with everything.
The key is to be aware. To notice the subtle thoughts that have always been there and are affecting everything you do.
There’s so much that is not great in the world but there’s so much that is great. It all depends on the thoughts you have about it and what you chose to focus on. There’s always going to be people that thrive during bad times and there will always be people that don’t thrive during good times. It ultimately depends on you.
In the ocean of life there’s a boat of people choosing to believe the world is the worst it’s ever been and a boat of people choosing to believe it’s the best it’s ever been. Both are correct, and you have the choice to decide which boat you want to be on.
My challenge to you this week is to notice your consistent subtle thoughts and then think about which boat they would put you on…
I love you guys and I’ll talk to you in a few days!
