Skip the word of the year & do this instead…

You’ve probably heard of people choosing one word for the year & perhaps you’ve seen people post theirs on Instagram.  I’ve considered this for the past couple of years and to be honest I could never come up with a word…  I was seeing others post words like growth, flourish, cultivate & momentum.  Was it right that I wanted to choose money? :-)  I had a lot of judgment about my words and other people’s.  I love the word flourish, but it’s not a word I use in everyday vocabulary.  Same with the word cultivate…. 

While those are great words that resonate with me, no one word felt right.

Then I kept coming back to one of the skills I coach and that is to choose thoughts intentionally.  

Why?  Because our brain believes what we tell it the most.  It’s always listening to our thoughts even when we’re not paying attention to them.  (which is most of the time for most people)  That is why it’s really important to become aware of your thoughts.

I was teaching this concept at a women’s workshop recently and one of the women kept saying that my word was intentional, but she was missing my point.

A word of the year can only benefit you if you are thinking thoughts every day (on purpose) that support your word & serve you.

Instead of choosing a word for the year, choose a thought of the day, week or the month.

Choose thoughts on purpose that serve you and your future self (that will thank you when you did the hard work to reach your goal….), in your relationships, in your career, with your health.  Fight for these thoughts.  

Think these thoughts over and over again until you believe them, because one thing we know for sure is that the brain believes what we tell it most.  Then it looks for evidence to support our beliefs.

So, if you’re thinking crappy, negative thoughts all the time, your brain is going to look for proof of these thoughts and usually find it.

Choose a thought.  Say it to yourself multiple times a day.  If you focus on it, your brain will come up with a bunch of sister thoughts that will also help.

For example, if you want to drink more water, start by paying attention to your thoughts about water.  Even take 5 minutes and write down all of your current, honest thoughts about drinking enough water every day.

Then, get rid of these kind of thoughts… it’s so hard to drink this much water.  I hate how much I have to pee when I drink so much water.  I don’t feel like having water. I’d really prefer a coffee.

Trade these thoughts for:  I’m a water drinker.  I always start my day with a glass of water.  I love water.  I feel so good when I’m drinking plenty of water…. Choose a thought that is neutral enough to feel believable and say it enough until you DO believe it.

Your brain will look for evidence for your new thoughts about water and it will usually find it.

FIGHT FOR THE THOUGHTS THAT KEEP YOU MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY HEALTHY. 

Skip the word of the year.  Choose a thought for the day and try it intentionally, multiple times today.  Then decide to keep that thought for the week and see what happens.  Then, extend it to a month.  

If you want to feel differently about something or have different results you must think differently.

You can train your brain to think different thoughts and feel better at any moment.

Remember your brain believes what you tell it most.

all the best!

Mimi