Category: motivation

“I don’t like to travel” is just athought.  “I am a homebody” is just another thought.  Sounds so benign, and harmless.

But…

When I travel, and I think the thought that  “I don’t like to travel or that I am a homebody,”  I feel anxious.  When I feel anxious, I don’t explore or take advantage of the surroundings.  I don’t enjoy the process of the packing and the planning.  The result is, I don’t enjoy traveling.

Notice how the result proves my thoughts true!  Your thoughts always prove your yours true!

That’s my old story… an old belief that I wanted to change.  Steve loves to travel and we have always had opposite thoughts about travel.  

So how does a“homebody, none-traveler” change their belief, the story?  Starts with athought, of course.

Changing your thoughts will for sure change your results. 

New thought: this trip is going to be fun

Feeling:  excited to explore new things

Action: go check things out when I get there

Result:  I enjoy traveling, and I have fun

It’s not as easy as it sounds but it is that simple.  

What do you want the result to be? 

What thought do you want to prove true?

Choose wisely because you are going to prove a thought true, which one will it be?

When I really deep dive into my thoughts around travel, I realize that I have certain things that I do look forward to doing.  I even have some rituals…

I get my hairdone, do my nails, buy comfy jammies.  I love buying airport sweatshirt.  I love them!  Trying airport food.  Airports have great restaurants if you are open to trying them out.  I’m on a quest for the best airport burger.  I love checking out the fitness rooms at hotels and for sure love a bed I don’t have to make!

I would still put  myself in the category of homebody.  Meaning,that I love being at home most of the time.  But now I can honestly say that I also do enjoy travel!

And the truth is, I travel a lot.  I travel for work, to visit my family, going to horse shows…I am sometimes gone more than home, too much to not enjoy every moment and be thankful for the opportunity to do the things that I get to do.  

So, even though I am a homebody, I love when I get to travel!

Now,  go be a goal setting,  goal getting,  goal digger!!!

I have been preaching for almost a year now that if you want different results, you have to start with your thoughts.  I had to really swallow my own medicine two weeks ago like never before.

I am exhausted and my body hurts and I failed miserably to show up like I needed to in order to have a successful Western Dressage show.

I can literally trace my thoughts back to more than two months ago when Kit stopped sweating and acquired the most amazing rain rot due to the relentless humidity.

We couldn’t ride, she looked like crap.

Even though we got past all of the obstacles, I was clearly carrying a baggage of negative thoughts and emotions about all of it!

It showed. It showed in how I showed up as a competitor.  It showed up in how I trained leading up to the show, it showed in how I managed my time and how I prepared.

I was actually hoping for a better showing. WHAT????  Hope is a horrible strategy in the dressage arena.

Sure, I worked out and studied the tests, went through a lot of the motions I normally do but not like a winner.  I did it like I had quit ahead of time.

• This is our first show in Florida.
• I don’t know anyone.
• We have never been to this arena.
• We have not been able to ride like we normally do.
• We have been through a lot in 90 days.
• There is no reason to think we have a chance.

All of these thoughts seem so benign, like they don’t really mean anything.  They seem almost factual…almost.

The truth is that none of these thoughts were useful, at all, and all of these thoughts took hold and for sure my results proved all of these thoughts to be true.

Circumstances are neutral…they are neutral until you think about them.  It’s very important to separate your thoughts from your circumstances.  That is a key first step to the process.  See if you can pick out the thoughts from the circumstances in my list above and then come right back here.

“This is our first show in Florida, we have never been to that arena were the only circumstances.”  The rest were all thoughts and it is important to understand that thoughts are optional.  Meaning, you get to choose the ones that serve the results that you want.  Your thoughts bubble up the emotions that you feel. Scared, nervous, anxious, excited, lonely, etc…Your emotions become the fuel for the actions that you take or the action that you don’t take. Of course, your action or inaction drives your outcomes and results.

It’s so critical to separate your thoughts about your circumstances from your actual circumstances.  Let’s make it easy. Circumstances are just facts, not the drama, just the facts.  Circumstances can be proven in the court of law.  “This is our first show in Florida” is true, can be proven, it’s a fact. “We have not been able to ride like we normally do” is a thought about my circumstances but it’s not fact, just a thought. Now, I might believe that it’s a fact, but it’s not, it’s just a thought. When I think that thought, “I feel unprepared.” I feel unprepared.  My actions were that I trained like I was not preparing, I show up small like I don’t want to be seen and when I show up small my result is that we didn’t show like we normally do.  We are normally smooth and very connected. We were not.  We were jiggy!  Here is what it looks like in the thought model:

Circumstance: Moved to Florida 90 days ago.
Thought: I have not been able to ride like I normally do.
Emotion: Unprepared.
Action: Didn’t train like we normally train, showed up small.
Result: We did not show like we normally do.

Do you see how my thought was proven to be true? This is everything people. This is the formula!

So here is the lesson…

When we fail miserably, and we will, we need to look for the lesson, find the teacher.

If we are not failing we are not growing, and we are not living the human experience.

To be living the human experience we have to feel it all.  The fear, the anxiety, the doubt, all of it.  We have to feel it and know that we are going to be OK.  We need to feel it and then ask where the thought causing the feeling is coming from.  What is it?  We need to call it out, identify it and then change it.

You see, if the thought that you are thinking is not serving you then you need to find a thought that will.  You have 70,000 thoughts swirling around up there, surely one of them will serve you better.

Our brain actually wants us to land on the negative one, my brain wanted me to not go at all.  I waited until the last day to enter.  I normally enter a month ahead of time.  Our brain has a negative bias.  It will direct us to the evidence of all of the negative thoughts.  That’s what has kept up alive and evolving for thousands of years.

Your brain does not know that you aren’t really in danger that you are just afraid to drive to a place you have not been to before.  Your brain thinks that is too risky and should not be done, it thinks there might be danger lurking.

My brain went nuts with stinking thinking.  Guess what kind of results you get with stinking thinking?

I learned a lot.  Failure can teach us a few things if we are open to showing up as a student.

I learned that I need to clean up my thinking, I need to eat right, sleep more and drink less.  I need to train better and most of all, do the thought work until it’s a core belief.

We get really good at whatever we practice the most.

That weekend I practiced being brave. That sounds so nice doesn’t it? But think about it. In order to be brave and courageous you have to be experiencing fear and anxiety first.

It’s about being in that moment where you need to decide the thought that is going to serve you because your brain is serving up all of the evidence that you should quit and go home, start crying and just throw in the towel.

Your brain wants to prove your thoughts true so let it, but find another thought.

Here is a thought model for my future self:

C: We just moved to Florida 90 days ago
T: I am excited to get plugged back in to the sport I love so much
E: Excited, energized
A: Train right, eat right, do thought work
R: I will get plugged back in to the sport I love so much!

Decide on the thought that will make you feel brave and bold and courageous.  Practice that, over and over and over.  Soon, a new more useful emotion will surface and become fuel for action which will drive outcomes.

Now, go be a goal setting, goal getting, goal digger!!!!

Do you walk around wondering if there is enough oxygen for you and me and the world?  You might, but probably not.  Why not?  Because we have a mindset of abundance when it comes to oxygen.  We might question the quality but not the availability.

Now, imagine we are scuba diving.  Suddenly I experience a malfunction of some sort and you need to share your oxygen with me.  I bet your mind would immediately go to thoughts of “what if I don’t have enough for me?”

Totally normal by the way.  Not offended.

This is a great illustration of the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundant mindset.

You can almost feel the anxiety and stress of a diver having to share oxygen, scarcity.  In contrast, we go through our days not even thinking about how much oxygen there is. You can also feel the freedom and ease of not worrying about oxygen and knowing that there is plenty for everyone, abundance.

How does this show up in the work place?

The scarcity mindset has a very difficult time sharing recognition, sharing credit and being happy for anyone else’s good fortune.  We can feel like their gain is our lack, or that there isn’t enough for everyone and someone else just got the best part.  There is a sense of a lack of resources and few options to choose from.

An abundant mindset, in contrast flows out of a deep sense of self-worth and security.  It comes from a place of plenty for everyone.  It easily and genuinely shares in prestige and recognition and is open to possibilities, options, alternatives and creativity.

How does this show up in other areas?

• Maybe we become jealous of the amount of time one friend spends with another.
• Maybe we are trying to lose weight but can’t fathom throwing food away so we consume it.
• We go out go out to eat and immediately order the cheapest thing on the menu.
• Maybe we talk negatively about someone who just bought the house of their dreams or the car of their dreams or just got the job of their dreams.
• Maybe we feel rushed and often feel like we are running behind.
• We feel lonenly or have a need, but don’t want to “put anyone out.”

What’s the problem with a scarcity mindset?   Doesn’t seem incredibly harmful right?

Wrong

A scarcity mindset is a fear-based thought loop.  It’s a thought error.  It makes you show up small, it illustrates your lack of self-worth, it steals your joy from living, and helps you make horrible decisions.  It keeps you from experiencing all the abundance that the world has to offer.

You can’t invite more into a mindset of lack.

What to do?

I have three tools you can use immediately to start showing up with an abundant mindset.

1. Awareness  Of course, awareness is key to everything.  You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken.   Be aware of complaining, criticizing, condemning others.  Be aware of the company that you keep, mindsets are contagious.

2. Attitude of gratitude  Choose to see all that you have.  Gratitude actually positively rewires the pathways of your brain.  When you switch your thoughts from “I want” to “I have”, cool stuff happens.  Try it.  See the message in the mess.

3. Give  It may feel counterintuitive but the best way to feel abundant is to give.  Give what you want more of.  If you feel underappreciated, offer appreciation to someone else.  Don’t feel like you have enough time to get your stuff done?  Help someone get something off of their plate.  Don’t feel like you have enough money?  Give to someone less fortunate, and there is always someone less fortunate.  Giving put you into an abundant mindset almost immediately.

Now go be an abundant, goal getting, goal digger!!!

 

 

Has this every happened to you?

You land your dream job, or married your dream man, or you got weight off, or you just scratched off that big goal and you thought to yourself, “I should feel differently, I should feel happy and satisfied, but I don’t.”  Continue reading “I Thought I Would Feel Different. What’s Wrong With Me?” →

I want you to journal how many times you find yourself saying, “I don’t know or I can’t.”

Maybe it sounds like, “I don’t know why I just can’t lose weight?”  “I don’t know how to do….”  “I don’t have enough time.”  “I don’t have enough money.”  ‘I can’t figure out…”

These thoughts give us permission to quit on ourselves because as long as we think that we don’t know how or we can’t, we don’t have to take action, so we don’t.

We let ourselves off the hook!  When we do that, we rob ourselves and the world the benefit of showing up as our best selves.

Repeat after me…”Everything is figure-out-able!”  I know that isn’t a real word, but it should be.

Watch what happens in your life when you stop saying “I don’t know or I can’t,” and you start saying, “I am going to figure this thing out.”

As much as your brain really, really, really hates it when you introduce goals that require change, your brain loves accomplishment.

When you figure this thing out, your brain will get a dopamine hit and ask, “what’s next?”

For whatever you want to do, there is a way!

Now go be “figuring it out” goal digger!

 

I took a two month planned break from riding.  TWO MONTHS  PEOPLE!!!

If you know me, you know that there is very little that comes between me and my ride time.

So why did I do it?

I wanted to be able to talk about how important it is to give yourself a break, to step back from your goal, to re-evaluate, to look at your goal from a different perspective.

In order to talk about that, I need to do that.

I spend tons of time talking about goals and the mindset for achieving goals.  It could give you the impression that I don’t believe in taking a break.

I think taking a break is incredibly important and here is why.

Burnout is real!  It’s real and it robs you of joy and it is totally preventable.

Perspective is key when you are pursuing a goal.  When you are all in it, perspective is hard to find at times.

Sometimes it’s time to push and sometimes it’s time to pull back and relax, reflect and regroup.

For me, the thought of taking a break gave me fear and anxiety.

What will I do with myself,

• who would I be if I didn’t ride every day,
• what would happen to my horses,
• would they lose their training if I gave them time off?

Would I remember how,

• what will happen to my body,
• will I lose my riding fitness
• will I lose my confidence?

What would people think,

• would they think I was not committed?
• Would they think I was lazy?
• Would they think I had quit?

Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking about our goals and acting upon them that we unconsciously start going through the motions.

We start doing things just to do things but not because it serves a purpose

Worse, you forget why you are doing this to begin with and exactly what are you going for any way!

You lose perspective.

So what did I experience taking a break?

• I am still me even if I don’t ride.
• I am still horse crazy but now I have tons more room in my brain to be creative and do more!
• My horses did not lose their training, in fact, they are better than before.
• I have struggled to get through the sore muscles of taking time off but I love the awareness that I am feeling in my body right now.
• People did think I had quit and that’s OK! What they think is not my business any way.

I loved the time to reflect on the last few years and what I have learned and how I have grown.

Reflect

I loved thinking about the future with my girls, Kit and Baby J, and what I am excited to teach them and experience with them this year.

 Dream

I loved visualizing my future rides and mentally preparing for the work ahead as we move up the levels.

Ready

Now go be a goal getting, break taking goal digger!

note:  Thank you Angie Stokes for the use of your image.  Much love!

What are you practicing every single day?  No, really…what?

Whatever you are practicing, you are getting very good at.

Are you practicing giving in to negative self-talk or are you refusing it?

Are you practicing allowing the emotion or are you practicing resisting, and buffering with negative and numbing behavior?

Where does your mind go when left unattended?

Refuse the negative thought like you would refuse a cigarette.

“No thank you”

That’s it, that’s all, just “no thank you.”

You are too dumb, you are too old, you are worthless…

“No thank you.”

You are too fat, you are too skinny, you are too mean…

“No thank you.”

You are a terrible person, a terrible mom, a terrible boss…

“No thank you.”

You are worthy!  You have value!  You are enough!

“Thank you, don’t mind if I do!”

YAAAASSSSS!!!!

Now go be a goal digging goal digger!!!

Note:  Thank you to Anne Landers for capturing this beautiful picture.  I love old barns and the Oklahoma sky!

Are you ready for a “Goal Digger” challenge?

It’s easy to get into the habit of thinking about things we can’t do, can’t have, can’t eat, etc…This type of negative thinking creates a negative vibration that reverberates right out into the universe and guess what comes back?  Negative!

It is this kind of thought process that creates negative pathways in our brain. These thoughts then becomes our internal dialogue, and before your know it, you are in a spin cycle of averageness, yes that’s a word.   Negativity then becomes our default response to almost everything.

Negative thoughts triggers negative emotions and those emotions drive our behaviors of over eating, over spending, constant yelling and over reacting, or maybe gambling, over working, watching too much TV, video games…the list goes on and on.  We all have a spin cycle.  It’s that thing that we do instead of doing what we should do to foster our development in becoming a better version of ourselves.  These actions can result in our being overweight, broke, fractured relationships, stuck etc…You get the picture.

Simplified, your thoughts trigger emotions, emotions trigger behaviors, behaviors drive results.  It all starts with a thought.  If you can learn to control and manage your thoughts, you can manage your emotions, and in the end you can achieve better results.

That is how the world works!

“Just think positive thoughts.”  That’s what every self-help book published since the beginning of time says.  If it were that easy, you would already be doing that and I would not be writing this.

You can rewire your brain and you can re-frame your thoughts.  You can achieve more as a result.  It takes time, effort and work.  I am not going to promise this will be an easy process but it will be worth it.

If you have not read my blog, “Why Can’t I Get Off My A&$”, go ahead and read it, for real, it explains everything that you need to know about why we lose motivation.  It has everything to do with the inner critic.

In the next few days I will be kicking off a 4 week challenge (as in one thing a week, not something for 30 days) where we tackle our inner critic.  Can we learn to live in peace with our inner critic?  I say yes.

Be a  “Goal Digger”!

First of all, it’s normal to have negative thoughts and emotions.  It means that you are human.  In fact, negative thoughts and emotions do serve a purpose.  I mean, it would be really weird to greet devastating news with a smile and joy.  So what’s the big deal then?

It becomes a big deal when we get attached to negative thoughts and emotions and we wear them like a cozy robe and fuzzy slippers.  Literally!  It becomes a big deal when we feed our negative thoughts with comfort food and a yummy bottle of wine.  Before long we go shopping…online, in our robes, eating our comfort food, binge watching Mad Men!  Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes that is the best way to spend a cold winter day, but not at the effect of our thoughts and emotions.  Ten pounds later…well, you know.  Read on for what to do… Continue reading “Are You Attached To Negative Emotions?” →

At the risk of sounding too techy…your brain operates under its own motivation strategy called the Motivational Triad.   It is driven by your subconscious and its main focus is to seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserve energy.   While that strategy has served us well to keep humans alive and evolving, it does not always serve us well when we try to introduce something new or when we want to stretch ourselves in areas of growth.

So almost as soon as we get past the part of setting the goals, and maybe shortly after planning the work, we start hearing this inner critic talking to us.  It says, “you can’t”, “you won’t”, “you shouldn’t”.  Continue reading “Why Can’t I Get Off My A&$” →