“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” Marcus Aurelius
So simple, yet so true.
Our life is what our thoughts make it. All of my clients have heard me ask ,”What are you making this mean?” Stress, anxiety, overwhelm and judgment can be signs that we need to ask ourselves this question.
Let me give you an example. When I am feeling stressed about all the work I have to complete during the day (both at home and in my career) I usually say something like this out loud “Ugh, there is not enough time during the day-I am so busy!”…but when I ask myself this question: “What are you making this mean?” I can uncover the truth (which can then allow me to let go of whatever I need to let go of) and start feeling peace of mind. (which allows me to be productive and happy at the same time)
So when I ask myself the question “What are you making this mean?”, then I find that what I am truly telling myself (my little voice) is “You will never succeed” or “You are a failure” or “People will think you are crazy”. Underlying all this is a need to be approved (by myself and others) and control (I want to be perfect and beat myself up for anything that does not look “perfect”).
And now I can do the real work of moment to moment, letting go of my need to be perfect (control) or be approved. Let this go and my life is all that I want it to be. I can then trust that things will work out, I accept what has happened in the past, I forgive myself (I stop hoping that things could have been different). I ask for help (because I no longer make it mean that I am not good enough). I make better choices about what I need to prioritize.
I do this as many times a day as needed to moment by moment come to a place of peace and being present. I am 100% more productive but best of all, life is just more enjoyable. Who doesn’t want that?
