Browsing social media I see many people distraught over something they have no control over. On any given day you can see people on social media that are letting things outside of themselves control their feeling and behavior. Traffic, air delays, politics… Why?
The outside world is a lie!
Everything you see or hear is trying to influence your feelings and emotions… Everything! Have you ever seen that two-minute commercial with the abused pets? Do you compare yourself to others based on the ‘things’ they own? CNN, Fox New and CNBC all have an agenda to push your buttons. This may sound harsh but you are letting others control your thoughts!
I am not saying you do not have original thoughts. I am saying that you are letting things outside or yourself control your well being. Your good thoughts and imagination is being drowned out by corrupt ideas. Have you ever found yourself having an imaginative argument with someone you heard on TV? Thought of a great response to an argument you had last week? Why are you holding onto those thoughts?
Everyone’s mind and imagination is perfect.
The problem is that if we are not mindful of our thoughts, our laziness will kick in and get us watching trash TV or reading mindless posts on social media. Thus, our good thoughts are buried in clutter. And when this happens we develop bad habits.
Personally, I had to stop watching the news and going onto Facebook for the week before the election. I did this because for about two weeks before the election I found my production in all areas of my life going down. I am a very goal oriented success seeking person. And I noticed that my performance was down. So I made a decision to not to participate in consuming news.
What I noticed the first day was that I was now filling my day with productive tasks. Rather than wasting my time trolling the Internet I was getting shit done. After two days it was smooth sailing and I didn’t even miss all the outside noise.
What stands out now, is that things outside of myself were affecting me negatively. I knew it was happening but for a few weeks I was lying to myself thinking it was not affecting me.
And that is what is happening to you right now. The negative thoughts have taken over and are impacting your performance right now… It’s affecting how you deal with co-workers, friends, your spouse and kids. I’ve seen some posts that make me wonder… Do these folks really want to be in this much misery?
I am not just here to point out what is happening to you… I want to help you get out of the rut and move on.
Here are some steps to help you introspect on your feelings:
First, when you are about to vent a thought stop and ask your self: “How does this thought server me?” And the answer MUST be either positive or negative! Keep the good and toss the bad. You must be ruthless in this process; there is no room for gray area. Thoughts are seeds that grow in your mind. Weed out the bad, take no prisoners, go with your gut, and never negotiate.
Second, Respond and do not react. If you are in line at the store and someone starts yelling at you do you react or respond. Instead of reacting by yelling back, a wiser choice is to respond. Perhaps you could walk away, let them in front of you or waive down security. Your enteral response is that I will not outside elements effect me
Finally, realize that you may be emotionally invested in the wrong thing. Emotional investment on its own is a great thing. But we have all wrapped ourselves emotionally into things harmful to our well being. If you are angry about a situation its very likely that you are mad at yourself for getting involved in a harmful endeavor.
Thanks for reading and I was able to help you step back, assess and move on from what ever outside influence is impacting you.
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Jeremy Callahan The App Man
jeremy@jeremycallahan.com
Twitter: @jeremycallahan
Jeremy Callahan is a Mobile Commerce Expert, App Developer and Founder at Flip Shop Marketing