There are times when self-doubt, insecurity and negative thoughts creep into our minds.
Sometimes it’s only once a week or once a day, sometimes it’s a few times a day, and sometimes, it’s multiple — heck hundreds — of time a day.
These debilitating thoughts can be crippling. They can stop us dead in our tracks. They can get in the way of us doing what we need to do. They can lead to anxiety, or depression, or worse.
But here’s the thing, our thoughts don’t have to define us. Are they going to be there? Yes. Absolutely. But do they have to make us miserable? Absolutely not.
Here are 8 thoughts the most successful people live by to counter those negative thoughts and achieve success and happiness.
Accountability is the best starting point to getting over your negative thoughts and moving on to the next step. Don’t play the victim. Every single thing that’s happened to you has happened because of choices you’ve made. This is not to say that others haven’t been responsible at certain points, too. But ultimately we must accept that every choice we’ve made — and will make — has a consequence.
Think about it. If you weren’t willing to have this life, would you? You are, after all, the one living it. The point you are at in your life is because you have, either consciously or subconsciously, accepted it.
Your mind is pre-programmed to win. Every action in your life has led you to this point, and you’ve won at getting here. You have achieved the things you’re willing to put up with — whether that’s taken the form of success or complacency. The key to winning at something different, maybe a goal you have, is to remind yourself that you will win at whatever your mind wants to win at.
You never know exactly what’s going to happen. You could get hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow. Or you could walk into a grocery store and meet the love of your life. You just never know. Rather than fearing that uncertainty, accept it. Face it head on. Be okay with the it. In fact, embrace it. Get excited about the surprises life has in store for you. Uncertainty is the space where you experience new things, grow and learn and where life happens.
Can you handle what life throws at you? Absolutely. Every time. You’ve made it this far, through all the ups and downs, all the highs and lows. That’s because you are 100 percent capable of overcoming the odds, of taking that next step, of making it through each situation. When those negative thoughts start to creep in, remind yourself that yes, you can do this. And you will.
Think back to the moments in your life when you’ve achieved something. What are you most proud of? Now think about HOW you achieved that success. More likely than not, you were operating outside your comfort zone. You were working hard. You were facing your fears. You were being relentless.
Problems are an inevitable part of life. But every problem, without fail, also has a solution. Can’t see a solution? That’s only because you haven’t quite worked it out yet. Give it time. It will come to you.
Who is someone that comes to mind when you think of what success looks like? Steve Jobs? Ghandi? Martin Luther King Jr.? Abraham Lincoln? Do you think that person never had doubts, negative thoughts or fear? Of course they did! The difference between them and so many others is that they didn’t let those negative thoughts stop them. They got out of bed and took risks anyway. You will have negative thoughts. That’s a given. The key is to not let those thoughts stop you from doing what you need to do. It’s your actions that make you who you are -- not what’s going on in your head.
Do you have a trick to counter negative thoughts? Share it in the comments below!