Today I want to share a huge, life-changing win with you.
It’s the fastest and most effective way of being able to direct– and therefore take control of– your thoughts.
DOES YOUR MIND DO ANY OF THESE;
– Are your thoughts non-stop?
– Do you catch yourself thinking the SAME thing, over and over?
– Do you find yourself worrying about things that NEVER EVEN HAPPENED? You just wonder “What if… ?
– Do you wish you had an OFF switch for your mind?
– Do you ever say really mean things to yourself, things that you would never dream of saying to anyone else?
– Do your thoughts sometimes have a mind of their own, going in any direction they want?
If you answered yes to some– or even all of these questions– know that you are not alone.
I know it can seem like our thoughts are endless and we have no control over which direction they take, but it doesn’t need to be like this.
Today I’m going to show you how to reign your mind in, and how to direct your thoughts, rather than have your thoughts directing you.
THE BENEFITS OF THINKING
Before we dive into solution mode, I want to point out that the act of thinking is an absolute privilege. It’s what makes us human!
Being conscious– being able to think– is truly MIRACULOUS. I think it’s important to remind ourselves of this so that we don’t get caught up in the belief that thinking is ‘bad’.
But thinking is the worst when our thoughts are fixed, defeatist, apathetic, self-depreciative, or worrisome etc. When our mind is replaying anxieties, sweating the “small stuff”, and projecting fears from the past into the future, we suffer.
THE PROCESS OF THINKING
To be able to direct and control our thoughts, it’s helpful to understand what the process of thinking ACTUALLY is.
Remarkably, thinking is almost entirely the act of either asking, or answering, questions.
If you’re not sure about this- try to observe yourself and notice– how do you actually think?
Almost EVERYTHING we think is in the form of either A QUESTION i.e. we analyse, review, ponder, hypothesise etc. or AN ANSWER i.e we make a statement, explain our reasoning, share an interpretation, a perspective, an assumption, a comment etc.
Now, here’s the kicker
If you want to control your thoughts, you need to control your questions.
I first learnt about the critical importance of asking better questions many years ago, from personal development phenomena, Tony Robbins.
It was Tony’s wisdom who fed my insights that if we want an incredible life, we need to ask incredible questions. From there, I went on to develop this amazingly simple 2-step strategy that I use to direct and control my thoughts.
THE MIND-TUNE METHOD
Control your thoughts in 2 Simple Steps
To create thoughts that support you, inspire you, guide you, help you, heal you, empower you– anything at all — you have to ask questions that evoke those types of answers, thereby creating that type of thinking.
The Mind-Tune Method is an incredibly simple, yet ridiculously effective strategy to controlling your thoughts.
Here’s how it works;
How to APPLY The Mind-Tune Method
EXAMPLE MINDSET RUT;
You secretly wish you could have an authentic conversation with your manager, but you’re afraid they’ll just get defensive and shut you down.
You spend a lot of time at work, and at home, replaying insensitive things that they say or do, and you frequently wonder, Why are they so critical? Why can’t they can’t just see what I need?
Applying The Mind-Tune Method to the Mindset Rut Example;
STEP 1– Decide what you want to focus on, experience or feel
You decide that you want to at least give it a shot.
You want to focus on building a better rapport with your manager.
You want to feel courageous and try to express your needs.
STEP 2– You ask yourself questions that centre on what you want to focus on, experience, and feel, such as;
– How can I totally turn this situation around with my manager?
– Do I know someone who’s really good at effectively expressing themselves that I can learn from? If not, where can I find them online?
– What would I love to say to my manager? What do I want to achieve by saying that?
– What are the benefits of me having more honest, open communication with my manager?
– What’s one micro-action I can take today, to practise being a better communicator?
– If I was a master communicator and felt totally confident to talk to my manager, what would I say?
—–
Be sure to ask your questions honestly and openly.
Keep asking your questions until you come up with great answers that you love!
WHY THE MIND- TUNE METHOD IS SO EFFECTIVE
The nature of the mind is to fixate on things.
Our thoughts reach out endlessly, obsessing over things that matter, and even things that don’t.
If we fight our mind by trying to suppress our thoughts, we’ll be fighting a losing battle. Suppressing our thoughts doesn’t work. THINKING is what the mind does.
Remember, consciousness IS thinking. It’s a privilege and a gift that tells us we’re alive!
So rather trying to suppress our thoughts, we’ll work WITH our thoughts instead. We’re not trying to dominate or conquer our thoughts- we control them by directing them. In this way, we remove the fighting and the inner battle.
By directing our thoughts with mindfully chosen, effective questions, it means we are in control of our mind. We’ll end up thinking about things that we love to think about, whatever that means to you!
PUTTING IT INTO ACTION
Do you have an area of your life where you’d like to have greater control over your thinking?
Why not take greater control of your thoughts right now and try The Mind- Tune Method yourself.
When you’re done, please consider posting one of your questions in the comments below.
I believe in the power of questions so much that I literally collect great questions– so I would love to hear yours!
There’s every chance it will help another reader too, so please consider leaving one of your questions in the comments below.