Write a Letter
How long since you last wrote a letter?
On my renewyou course participants write a letter to themselves! It’s a very potent way of helping you keep to your resolutions.
Try this exercise now when you can find a quiet space over next few days.
Take a sheet of paper (and remember that doing this with coloured crayons can actually enhance your creative thinking).
Imagine now that you are writing a summary of your life over last 2 years to an imaginary friend who only has your well being at heart.
Think about the following headings and add some of your own:
Career
Love
Relationships
Home
Hobbies
Friends
Jot down what you love about these areas of your life, and what you would like to bring into these areas of your life.
Coaching Questions
Which area is most important to you right now?
What one thing could you do to improve your quality of life in this area?
Who or what do you need to make this happen?
When does it need to happen by?
Why aren’t you doing it……..?
Make Your Negative Positive!
Childhood Beliefs
We all hold thoughts and beliefs in our head that have their roots in our childhood. We will have absorbed messages over the years from significant people in our lives. Some of these messages are great and help us live our lives to the maximum. If you had a parent or significant adult, for example, who always told you to give it a go and encouraged you to try new things, you are probably pretty good at doing just that.
On the other hand, if you had a parent who was always fearful for your safety, not allowing you to take even small risks, you may ‘hear’ that message in your head each time you try to attempt something new. ‘Stick with what you know’, or ‘No good will come of it’.
On my RENEWYOU course I have an exercise in helping people understand what these messages might be. I call it ‘Internal mail – save or delete?’ You could try it now. Spend a few moments thinking what messages you have internalised over the years. If you find it difficult to recall, keep a note pad by you for a day and jot them down as they come into your mind. What is your default thinking? Don’t forget to include the good as well as the not so good, and try not to judge whoever brought you up; they were doing the best they could and none of us are perfect!
Review Your List
Once you have your list in front of you spend a few moments deciding which ones you want to keep. Now look at those you could well do without – the ones that hold you back, keep you down and sap your energy. These are very powerful influences on your behaviour but the good news is that you can reverse their effect!
If we want to change our habits we need to replace the old habit with a new one. So it is with negative thoughts. Challenge your negative thinking with positive thoughts. For more advice on how to do this take a look at the post linked below on positive thoughts. You’ll have to practise them a few times but it will work! And maybe you’d like to share how you get on? It’s always great to hear from you.
