How often a day do you think that something is going to go wrong? How often do you focus on what’s missing rather than on what’s there? How often do you run through worst-case scenarios in your head, hoping they’ll never happen?
And how often do you find that exactly what you focus on actually becomes reality?
As a personal development and transformation coach, I’d like to share this insight with you: we shape our lives through what we focus our attention on.
Every thought is energy
On average, we have around 10,000–20,000 thoughts a day. Each of these thoughts is energy. If we think it repeatedly, this energy condenses into a field. When the energy field – and thus the information field – is dense enough, it becomes a visible reality in our lives. This applies to all thoughts. This makes it all the more important that we are aware of what we are thinking. For these thoughts shape our lives.
Invitation to Mind Shift
Imagine a situation in your life that’s currently on your mind. Perhaps a conflict. A career decision. A health issue.
Be mindful of what you think about this. If necessary, write down your thoughts on the matter.
Now acknowledge these thoughts without judgement. And then ask yourself: Are these thoughts helpful to you? Do they lead you towards where you’d like to go in life, or do they tend to bring about a situation you don’t want?
If that’s the case, it’s up to you to change your way of thinking. Questions that might help you do this include:
- What would I like to experience instead?
- What would a solution look like for me?
- How can I help to make this solution a reality?
- Who else can help me with this?
The moment you ask these questions, your focus shifts. Your energy now flows into what may unfold.
The spiral of fear – and how to break it
A particular form of problem-oriented thinking is anxiety-based thinking. What if I fail? What if I fall ill? What if I end up alone?
These thoughts may be intended as a form of prevention. As if they were preparing us for a possible eventuality. In reality, they do something else: they energetically draw what we fear into our lives.
The uncomfortable truth: if you’re constantly thinking that something will go wrong, you’ll end up making sure it does.
The mind shift begins the moment you realise: That’s just a thought at the moment. It’s not reality.
Appreciation as a lever
There is an exercise that I recommend to the people I coach, because it not only shifts our focus of thought, but also helps us adopt a different outlook on life:
Make a conscious effort every day to focus on the things you value.
As a sincere inner impulse. From the heart.
- What do you value about yourself?
- What about the people around you?
- What do you appreciate about your body?
- What about your work?
- In the little moments of the day?
The more appreciation you show towards yourself and others, the more you will receive in return. The law of resonance applies here too.
From changing your thoughts to changing your life
How can you become aware of your thoughts and, bit by bit, bring about a change in them – and thus a change in your life? I recommend the following six steps:
- Focus more and more on the present moment. What’s happening around you right now? What can you see, hear and smell? The more you’re in the present moment, the less your thoughts are focused on the past or the future.
- Become an observer of your thoughts. Take a moment several times a day and ask yourself: What am I thinking about right now? Where is my attention focused?
- Ask the key question. If you find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of thoughts: Is this thought true, or is it just a projection from the past or a scenario from the future?
- Change course – without a struggle. Let that thought go and ask yourself: What do I want to focus my attention on right now?
- Start the day mindfully. Before your day takes over, take two minutes: What do I want to focus on today? What quality do you want to centre your day around?
- Make a note of the recurring thought patterns that often crop up, and try to identify the beliefs and the emotions they contain. If you are unable to change them on your own, make use of the coaching to do so.
These skills are not a talent that you either have or don’t have. They are the result of conscious personal development. And the best time to start is now.
Would you like to develop your personality in a targeted way and break free from limiting beliefs?
Book a free introductory consultationConclusion: Your life is the result of your thoughts
Mind creates matter. In other words, your thoughts shape your life. When you start to consciously change your thoughts, something fundamental happens: you become an active shaper of your own life.
If, then, these thoughts still feel light and joyful, they shape the life that is in the Flow and is in keeping with who you are.
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