Monday, March 26, 2012

5 Steps to Overcome Negative Thoughts

The single greatest obstacle to living your dreams is that negative voice in your head that often appears when a great challenge or opportunity is staring you in the face.  It usually starts with an outside voice telling you your dreams are unrealistic or unachievable.  Something happens when your brain hears negative messages from well-meaning people who want to protect you from falling.  The message finds a home inside you and repeats itself until you give up on your goals.  Here's some ideas to help you overcome those negative thoughts preventing you from fulfilling your dreams:

  1. Find a mentor who accomplished the same goal you have and ask him or her to share how they managed to overcome any obstacles.
  2. Join a network or club who share your passion for living their dreams.
  3. Write down all the reasons why your vision for your future is important to you.
  4. Every time you hear that negative voice in your head, read the list you made in #3.
  5. Stop being afraid to fail.  Falling down is part of the process.  This takes away the power of the negative voice in your head.
Most of the perfectionists I know rarely achieve much because they fear risks.  It's pretty much impossible to overcome a challenge without making some mistakes along the way.  The negative voices inside a perfectionist's head cause him or her to freeze.  Have you ever seen a baby who was afraid to learn to walk?  How many times do they fall down before they finally get it?  Babies don't have negative thoughts until they are much older.  Go ahead.  Be a baby.  Tell that negative voice you're done listening.  Practice these five steps and your negative thoughts will fade away.

How do you handle negative thoughts?  Please add your thoughts below.

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