Who’d have thought it?

Thoughts are a bit like the positive and negative ends of a battery. They can empower you or they can drain you. Thoughts are not things! They are just thoughts. They aren’t facts. But they can become as powerful as facts if we allow them to. How often do you allow your thoughts to shape who you are and what you think about yourself? And when you do, is it in a positive or a negative way?

Thinking back to my childhood I remember being quite shy and I spent a lot of time thinking.

In fact, throughout most of my growing years I was probably overthinking far too many things. And what we think about does shape who we are. It can affect our confidence or self-belief. We all live in our own reality tunnel, which is created by our environment, our experiences and the people we spend time with as we grow and develop. This is why we are all unique, because no one else lives through our experiences, and no one else thinks our thoughts or feels our feelings.

As a child I would often put myself down, feel inadequate or lack self-confidence. And the more I thought about the particular thought, the worse it became. But then I stumbled across a book of quotes that totally changed my way of thinking. I began to realise that if my thoughts were going to affect me then I had a couple of choices. Either to think occasional negative thoughts or to embrace and reinforce the positive ones.

The issue we are face is not that our minds send us negative thoughts, but that we listen to or believe in them. Just because your mind sends you a thought doesn’t mean it really is important. It’s actually just imagination, assumption, or emotional ramblings. Thoughts are not always meaningful. The actual thought itself does not matter, because as thoughts come into your head, your brain, is only doing what brains do. Our thoughts are really just our mind trying to warn us of something, to keep us safe. But we do not have to take notice of these warnings. Well, maybe take notice – but assess and dismiss them!

Think of your thoughts as just a part of you. It’s not the content of the thought that’s relevant, it’s what you do when you get those thoughts that is!

Thoughts are not a source of truth or a source of evidence or proof. Don’t trust everything your thoughts say.

If you take your negative thoughts too seriously you can become anxious, probably for no justified reason. What is important is how you deal with those thoughts, because your mind won’t stop worrying about these thoughts and you don’t have power over the thoughts that come into your brain. Nobody does. But you do have the power to disarm the negative ones and replace them with positives.

So, take your negative thoughts with a pinch of salt. Use the positives and discard the negatives. If your mind is like a rechargeable battery, then recharge it with empowering thoughts. Remember, thoughts can become as powerful as facts, if we allow them to.

So, choose wisely!

Belinda Wells, Ollie Coach

Belinda is an Ollie Coach and Foster Carer. Previously a Primary School Teacher, she now has over 20 years’ experience working with children. Her interests are psychology, how we think and why we behave as we do, and she loves learning and writing.  Belinda enjoys seeing the difference her work as an Ollie Coach can make to the children and families she works with.

To get in contact with Belinda email Belinda.wells@ollieandhissuperpowers.com

To find out more about Ollie and his Super Powers and how to become an Ollie Coach go to https://www.ollieandhissuperpowers.com/pages/about-us