Do You Listen to Your Thoughts?

Do you listen to your thoughts? Do you listen to your thoughts as a reliable source of information or direction?

What do your thoughts tell you? Do your thoughts lead you in a direction you want to go?

-OR-

Do your thoughts lead you in a direction you do not want to go? Make you do things or say things you didn't mean? Make you feel ways you don't want to feel?

Your thoughts are not your enemy, however. Your thoughts are not trying to hurt you either.

What your thoughts need is a little action called MANAGEMENT. Manage your thoughts. Master your life.

What area of your life needs mastering?

• Relationship with a spouse or significant other?
• Relationship with a boss or co-worker?
• Career?
• Health?
• Money?

Take a look at your thoughts. Research tells us that we have between 60,000-80,000 thoughts per day. The majority of these thoughts are repetitive and negative. Let's take a look at some common repetitive and negative thoughts:

1. "My boss is so mean to me."
2. "My husband/boyfriend does not make me feel special."
3. "This is a dead-end job."
4. "I'm fat. I need to lose some weight."
5. "I don't have enough money."

The most common repetitive and negative thoughts we have are:

I don't matter

I am not enough

These two thoughts (and many versions of them) are what I like to call NRTs, Negative Root Thoughts. NRTs are repetitive and are the most basic of our thoughts. Many common thoughts we have (like the ones above), can be traced back to their root: "I don't matter" or "I am not enough". Sometimes the double root is both thoughts in the same common thought.

1. "My boss is so mean to me." (because I don't matter to her)
2. "My husband/boyfriend does not make me feel special." (because I don't matter to him)
3. "This is a dead-end job." (because I am not smart enough to get a better one)
4. "I'm fat. I need to lose some weight." (because I'm not thin enough)
5. "I don't have enough money." (because I'm not resourceful enough)

If you can identify what thoughts you are having over and over again, you can find which NRT or version of NRT ("I don't matter" or "I'm not enough") is behind it. 

And the best part?

Once you identify the NRT you can manage that thought on the spot.

MANAGE YOUR THOUGHTS. MASTER YOUR LIFE.

How? 

By understanding this basic connection:

->Thoughts lead to feelings.

->Feelings lead to actions.

->Actions lead to results.

->Results lead to a life that makes you happy or unhappy, successful or unsuccessful.

Understand the process from thoughts to results, be intentional by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts, then you can master your life.

What's the problem area in your life? Mastering that problem area is straightforward. With training and coaching mixed with inspiration, you can be happy where happiness is missing, and successful where success is lacking.

Should you listen to your thoughts? Sure. They will be with you until you take your last breath. However, realize that you have negative thoughts that can be managed in any area of your life that you choose.

Pamela Elaine Nichols is passionate about writing, coaching, and producing creative content to inspire women to believe they are good enough. She has a particular passion for inspiring single moms of color.