Control Those Thoughts!

I have learned that when I wallow in thoughts of everything I am not, I do not progress and I find it much more difficult to feel and follow the Spirit.

Divine Discontent by Michelle D. Craig

One thing I've been working on for years and years, and will no doubt need to keep working on forever, is controlling my thoughts.  I'm good at thinking positive thoughts about others (for the most part) but not always as good at thinking good things about me -- though I'm making progress! 

 It is so easy to think, "I'm not a good mother", or "I am not good at making dinner", or "I am not smart", etc. etc. etc.  I'm not sure why it seems easier to think those things than the positive ones.  Perhaps those of us who do this think we are not supposed to believe ourselves to be good at anything?  Maybe we think listing what we are not will keep us from having pride?  Whatever the reason, this type of thinking needs to stop.  We need to stop bullying ourselves about what we are not, and start noticing the good things that we are.

There is always another way to look at whatever negative thing we are telling ourselves.  I am a mother who loves her children.  I am good at making dinner when I want to make it!  I don't know everything, but I know a lot of things.  Once when I was trying to break this negative thinking habit I would make myself say something positive out loud if I heard myself say something negative to myself in my head.  I still smile when I remember looking at a messy stack of stuff by my night stand and saying, "I'm a mess!"  Then I stopped, and said, "I mean, look at all of the good things I am working on!"  And, I was working on a lot of good things, and the mess wasn't the most important thing.

So, here's to never giving up on controlling our thoughts, or on noticing what we are -- good people who are trying really hard to do good things.