Ep. 15 - How to De-polarize Your Thinking and Act

Let your mind work for you – have it be your ally and don’t let it keep you small.

Our thoughts affect how we navigate everything in lives: our jobs, our relationships, our mood, and how we see the world.

When we think in black and white terms, or our thinking is polarized, we limit ourselves.

When we prejudge things, we can lie to ourselves. When we think we know something, we feel safe, important and informed. We’re naturally afraid of change so our mind draws on past experiences to give us an idea of what to expect… but using past experiences to predict outcomes will dictate your actions and close you off to anything new. We tend to look at everything in a right or wrong frame of reference… so we can always find excuses why we can’t. If we broaden our lens, then we can also find excuses why we can. We can end up tying our sense of success to results, but success is subjective. We don’t want to attach our decision making to the immediate results. When we try something new, we won’t always get the results we expect right away. We spend a tremendous amount of energy comparing ourselves to our outside environment, especially other people. When we focus on comparing ourselves to other people or other circumstances, it makes us small. We’re not giving ourselves a chance to look at our true potential. We think we know what other people are thinking about us, and we spend time dwelling on it… but our job is not to judge. Our job is to do.

 

We need to stop judging ourselves through a black and white lens – we need to start taking control of our lives through action.

It’s going to be hard to get out of a black and white mindset because our brains naturally want to think linearly… but we need to give ourselves a chance to practice. Here are a few small and manageable ways to practice expanding your mindset:

Find a person or group who will offer support, give subjective feedback, and provide constructive criticism. Be curious about other people and their experiences. Seek connection with new and different people. You can empower yourself by talking to people who aren’t like you. Take a chance! Don’t try to conquer the world right away. Start taking small steps to exercise your risk muscle.

 

When you are able to let go of your attachment to the past, trust in your own capabilities, and stop judging the perceived result of your actions then you will see serious results and changes in your life.

 

Interested in learning more about how I can help you through coaching?  Find out more at www.johnharrisoncounseling.com/individual-coaching/

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