Clean and clear your mind
We all know, and have been told many times that we have much more potential than we demonstrate. Some of you are holding back because of fear of success, fear of failure- or just plain fear. We let the messages of our past get mixed in with what we know ourselves to be capable of. But surprisingly, we choose to listen to the other voices rather than our own.
Today, we will begin a series about clearing out those old messages rattling around in our heads, finding and doing the purpose we know we have come to fulfill. We are each blessed. But we are not blessed and gifted to sit on our own self-congratulatory laurels. We are blessed to continue to grow, but more importantly to be blessings to other people.
So, let’s get started with some real talk and some practical solutions.
When most of us think of getting ourselves together and getting on track, or back on track, we tend to think of obvious, and for the most part, external things. Usually the same kinds of things that come to mind when you think of spring cleaning. You may have an image in your mind of family members gathering around with mops and dust cloths in their hands with windows flung wide open. That’s because we tend to want to place our focus on making our home and our workspaces sparkling clean and clutter free. However, there’s something else you should be paying close attention to as well, and that’s keeping a clear, clean, happy and uncluttered mindset.
If you find that you’re having trouble dealing with life’s stresses, and you are needing need to sort out your thoughts more often, it will benefit you to use some of your cleaning and clearing time on yourself!
Here are some suggestions for getting the process started.
1. Anger. Get rid of anger. There are many negative emotions that you can work to eliminate during this cleaning time, but anger is one of the most important ones. Anger robs you of energy, time, opportunities and relationships. You must learn to let it go, or you have doomed yourself to staying stuck. You have to deal with it and then throw it away.
Ensure that you handle it effectively rather than just hiding it away, or sweeping it under the metaphorical rug. If you try to just push it away, it will continue to grow stronger and cause you even more stress. Face your anger and make an active and achievable plan to find solutions for your issues, or simply let go and resolve to move forward.
2. Forgive. Focus on forgiveness. Focus on forgiveness if you’re holding onto your negative emotions. You may not feel that the person you need to forgive deserves it, but you deserve to finally be at peace yourself. Think of it as doing something for yourself rather than of letting someone else off the hook.
3. List. If you follow what I write at all, you know that I am a big proponent of writing things down; getting things out of your head and down on paper. Make a list of your dreams and goals. Just as you make a list of your chores during cleaning your house and getting rid of unnecessary items, make a list of some of both your short term and long term dreams and goals. When you list them out on paper, it gives you something concrete to look at throughout the day. Listing things also helps you find clarity and focus your energies on where you want to go. Post your list where you’ll see it often, and cross things off as you accomplish them.
4. Open up. Be open to new ideas. When you open yourself to new situations and ideas, you’ll bring a new freshness and more opportunities into your life. It may feel much safer to keep yourself closed off, but eventually you will feel that things start to feel stale.
5. Re-discover fun. Don’t be afraid to have fun. Cleaning and clearing for your home or mind doesn’t have to be an onerous chore. With the right attitude, it can be an enormous boost to bringing change into your life. It’s like getting a fresh start and you can focus on your new beginning.
6. Stop! Stop to enjoy life and nature. Learn to see and appreciate the beauty in all of the things that you have been taking for granted. Take a walk and get some fresh air, get up early one day to watch the sunrise, or watch the sunset. These things will give you fresh, new perspectives on life.
7. Get organized. Just like you would organize your house or desk when it gets too cluttered, use this opportunity to learn to organize your mind when it becomes cluttered as well. Avoid letting jumbled and cluttered thoughts overpower your thinking process. Learn to use a calm approach and deal completely with one situation at a time as often as possible. Everyone has some chaos and too many demands in their lives. We forget that sometimes the best course of action is to slow things down.
Make some time each day to clear your mind, debrief yourself. You can accomplish this through meditation, prayer, listening to music or anything else that you find that relaxes you.
Remember that you very important, and you are much more important than those other things you take care of around the house or on your desk. You can use some of these ideas to clean and clear your mind, and enjoy your new beginning freer from stresses and negativity.
For more on this topic visit www.MartinaMcGowan.com
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clogwog/6180836824/sizes/m/in/photostream/
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