What YOU Think is What Matters Always

Getting caught up in what other people think of us is a colossal waste of time, but let's think about how regularly it happens in today's world, especially with social media.  Everyone is an author.  Everyone is a critic. Everyone gets to have an opinion.  Everyone can weigh in (ha ha) on everyone else's activities, photos, thoughts, pets, vacations, baby's names, etc. There is no end to this madness.  In fact, with the rapid fire pace of too much information coming at us, we are actually conditioned to have an opinion about every single thing.  This includes things that may not even matter to us.

Let's come back to what's really important--YOU.  What is the voice of the inner critic saying these days?  What is the voice that runs through your mind day in and day out telling you about how you are in your mind?  What is that voice telling you about how you are in your fulfillment?  What is that voice telling you about how you are in your body?  And finally, what is that voice telling you about how you are living your precious life now?

The answers to these questions are what really consumes us and captures our attention.  This is what really matters.  How you feel about yourself--in any aspect you choose to consider is what makes you happy or content or miserable, hopeful or despairing, clear and focused or cluttered and distracted, energized or fatigued.

We cannot now or ever control what others think of us.  We cannot control their thoughts or their behavior or their comments.  However, we can control our own.  We can control what we choose to believe about ourselves.  We can replace negative feedback with positive and affirming words.

We can't control our feelings.  Because they exist, they are legitimate.  Period.  However, we can control how we react to our feelings.   For example, when we are upset about something at work or with someone at home, we can notice that this is a normal part of life.  It's not the fun part, but it is normal.  We can tell ourselves that we are not going to eat our feelings in an effort to deal with the situation.  We can retrain our brain and our bodies to react differently by choosing a positive coping tool.  We can rewrite our very own script and begin a new conversation with ourselves--one that we can be proud of.

Have no fear, life will bring plenty of challenging situations to our doorstep giving us an opportunity to step up, stand tall, be clear and talk straight to OURSELVES.   This week, listen for the voice of reason that supports positive change.  Listen for the voice of fulfillment that wants so much more.  Listen to the best of you.  You deserve that.  It's you.  It's you.  It always was you.