I’ve been thinking lately about the word energized and what that means to me. It was my One Word in 2015 and one of its definitions that really resonates with me is “to cause a transformation”.
I’m usually looking for a personal transformation of some sort on a daily basis. You might say, “Really, daily?!” Yes, honestly, I do look for at least a mini transformation every day. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, it usually has to do with my desire to drastically change the way that I am thinking about something in the moment. For example, there are days that I wake up and one of my first thoughts is, “Ugh, today is the day that I need to (fill in the activity/task) and that makes me feel (fill in the negative emotion).” I have to admit, it’s not a good way to start the day. But it does seem to be human nature to allow the negative thoughts in our heads to surface as we think about what’s ahead of us each day. I’ve come to realize that it’s what I do after this thought pops up that really makes the difference for me.
Walking through your day with negative, demotivating thoughts is not productive or pleasant at all. So I have learned to do a few things to immediately change my day’s trajectory, to transform or energize it. As soon as I catch myself having that first negative thought, I do a couple of quick things to turn this around. I often start with a morning meditation and say several things out loud that I am grateful for. It may be really simple things like: It’s Friday, I woke up on time, or I have something good in the refrigerator for breakfast. Then I think about what I intend for my day. If I have something to do that seems somewhat daunting or unpleasant, I visualize that going well or better than expected. Finally, I create some positive affirmations that can help fuel that vision for the day.
Let me give you a specific example of how this works for me.
I may wake up and think, “Oh no, I have to drive down to Virginia this morning for an early meeting and the traffic is going to be terrible because it’s raining. That feels really stressful.” That isn’t a very motivating thought to wake up to. It makes me feel like staying in bed and pulling the covers over my head.
To get energized and drastically change that thought process, I immediately think of several things I am grateful for about this situation; for example, it’s rain rather than snow, I woke up a little earlier than planned, and I am meeting with a very nice group of people who are excited that I am joining them today.
Then I try to quiet my mind to visualize getting to the meeting easily and having a very positive outcome. Positive affirmations are the key component to keeping that vision energized. In this example, I might say:
- Everything I need today is coming to me easily and effortlessly.
- I am now being given the perfect solution for this situation.
- I am energized and enthusiastic about the day ahead.
Those of you who know me well know that I am a big believer in a practice of visualization and positive affirmations. There’s a great deal of scientific research that has been done in the field of neuroscience that shows a direct correlation between our thoughts and words and the outcomes we experience in our lives.
Neuroscientists have shown that our brains focus on what we think most about. If we are constantly thinking and worrying about how we might be stressed or unsuccessful during the day, then our brains get geared up for that inevitability.
Conversely, if we tell our brain that today is going to be a good day and positive experiences are coming our way, then the brain starts scouting out opportunities to make that happen. What does that mean? We can change the way our day evolves with the thoughts that we feed our brains.
Imagine for a moment that you allowed yourself to eat only candy bars, potato chips, and ice cream all day long every day for a year, and ate nothing else. That doesn’t sound all together bad when you first think of it, right? But you realize that your body wouldn’t function well physically if the only thing you fed it was junk food. In fact, you might get very sick if you made that your diet for a long period of time.
Now consider what you may be feeding your mind all day long. Whether we do it intentionally or unconsciously, we all allow our minds to be filled with some negative self chatter. When we allow ourselves to listen to this negative chatter in our head, I think it’s fair to say that this is junk food for our minds. And that can’t have a healthy impact on us either.
What is the negative chatter? Well, it’s that demotivating internal self talk that tells you that you will never realize your vision for your life, or even for this day, because you just aren’t enough – you aren’t young enough, smart enough, deserving enough. Whatever it tells you, that unkind chatter in your head holds you back from realizing the life you desire to live. It limits you, drags you down, and starts to convince you that others could pull that off (whatever THAT is) but YOU can’t. And a steady daily diet of these negative thoughts can weigh you down and make you feel mentally exhausted.
Hmm, that sounds like the complete opposite of being energized, right?
Of course, there are a lot of things we can do for ourselves to feel more energized – get proper rest, eat healthy foods, exercise, laugh, be social, pray. However, one of the most impactful ways for me to get energized is to pay attention to the messages I am sending myself throughout the day. When I use positive affirmations to infuse my personal visualization for a great day, it’s amazing how much more energized I feel.
Would you like to explore what the personal thoughts are that are draining your energy and then transform them into inspiring thoughts that empower and energize your intentions?
If so, join us for the Be Energized Evening Retreat on June 28th. I will be facilitating the discussion and will help you create energizing, customized, positive affirmations that will infuse your vision for your life. This is a simple process and when applied regularly can make some immediate positive changes. I look forward to sharing more with you. Hope to see you on the 28th!
Click here for event information and to register. Reserve your spot today!
Today’s blog was written by WWR Partner Coach, Donna Kettell. Donna is a certified professional coach (CPC) and a master practitioner in energy leadership (ELI-MP). Her certifications were earned through The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), which is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).