Have you ever stopped to really listen to your thoughts?

No, sometimes, yes, all the time?

You see, our thoughts are really powerful. They can either spur us on or stop us in our tracks. What we say to ourselves determines how we are feeling. How we are feeling influences how we show up and the action we take. This ultimately defines what our journey looks like and the results we get.

I invite you to take a moment. To pause. To become more conscious about what you’re thinking. To not accept your thoughts as being the truth.

What does this tell you?

How is it defining your reality?

How is it influencing the direction of your life?

It’s really easy just to believe everything we think. Not stopping to question whether the thought serves us. Just because you think it doesn’t make it true.

I remember when I first started my business, one of my dominant thoughts was, I know nothing as I’m new to this. At the time, I believed this to be 100% true. Unfortunately, it wasn’t true. Unfortunately, it influenced the way I was showing up and the actions I was taking. It hindered my progress and stopped me from accepting that I was in the driver’s seat.

Yes, I was new to business but in one thought I’d thrown away the experience and knowledge I’d gained from my corporate career. I’d had a very successful career working for Rolls-Royce for 17 years as a project manager. But in that one thought, I’d decided that all my experience was worth nothing and I hadn’t even realised I’d done it! 

This just shows that our brain will focus on what we lack and don’t know instead of what we know. I think this is a great form of self-sabotage. A disguised form of self-sabotage.

It’s these thoughts that can be harmful to us, especially when they’re about ourselves or ourselves concerning others. These thoughts are our inner critic being vocal, also affectionately known by me as Vera.

These are the thoughts that we need to be more aware of. To see with open eyes how they are influencing our actions on a daily basis. So that we can be more conscious about whether we are moving forward, standing still or even moving backward. 

The ability to be more self-aware of your thoughts and what Vera is saying can have a dramatic impact on your life. So I invite you to try the following if you want to change this positively.

Notice

Start with noticing the thoughts that you’re having on a daily basis. If it helps, keep a thought journal to see what comes up for you. This will show you what you are saying to yourself and whether there are any themes.

Get curious

Our inner critic is neither good nor bad. It’s just doing its job. It’s trying to keep you safe. So get curious. Try to understand why. How does the thought make you feel? How does that feeling make you act? What’s the result of your actions?