2023-05 MAY NEWSLETTER

– from Greek Philosopher, Plato. 

Plato was probably quite right, but often we human beings find what we desire doesn’t always fall in our laps as we would like.

Here is another quote…“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”So said Aristotle. And one from Socrates: “Every action has its pleasures and its price.”

Between Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and others, the ancient Greeks seemed to have a good handle on life. All wonderful, meaningful quotes, and all true. However, there are a few things that we human beings tend to do that are not so helpful in achieving those end results we desire.

If we aren’t getting the things we want, and we are repeating those same actions, we need to look at what we are doing and what we are putting out there, before we set our goals and ambitions. 

Often our minds are working against us. We may be continually setting ourselves up for failure by focussing on negative outcomes and repeatedly telling ourselves what won’t happen or what we can’t achieve. (That’s Emile Coue’s “Law of Reverse Effect”.)

Or we may be overthinking, trying to come up with every possible scenario that may never happen. Good old ‘worry’ comes in here.

This can often lead to feelings of being stuck, frustrated and can create anxiety. Not a good place to be as this can result in stress overload and patterns of Fight/Flight in the body.

Whatever we are going through, we know we can’t break a habit; what we need to do is set a new pattern.

Here are some ideas to help change the way we think, the words that we say out loud and in our minds, and ultimately the actions that we take.

First, know your triggers…

• Apparently we humans have 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day, but often they are the same ones we had yesterday and the day before….    Be your best “inner critic” – is your self talk telling you things that simply aren’t true? (I have a friend who says “Delete” when this happens, to stop the constant repetition.)
• Take note of your repeated behaviours. We human beings don’t like change, but often we need to look at what we are doing every day that may be triggering an undesirable outcome. Try doing something new in a different way each day to get yourself used to change.
• Putting your feelings down on paper can be a great way to unload your thoughts. Sometimes we aren’t aware of what we are doing and saying, until we see it in black and white. I find the best time to do this is first thing in the morning when the mind is uncluttered. (Then I burn the paper. That seems to make it final.)
• The power of Affirmations is mighty. Keep them simple, making sure that we are speaking the end result. “I am now….” even though the little voice in the back of the head is saying “No, you’re not”. We are changing the belief system and eventually the little voice will give up. The most important thing is the consistency – diligence and persistence are vital. Remember, it is not just the words that are powerful, but our minds are so powerful we will be led to do the things that we need to do to bring the end result into being. Very important! 

Whatever it is you are changing, the behaviour needs to change as well. This is not hard work, but it is constant work. All the very best in your endeavours to change. May you delight in your chosen end results.

Love and Laughter. Have a great month,