Why Your Life Sucks: The Truth about Your Thoughts!

Over the years I've read way too many self development books, to the point where you begin to realize there is a common thread that these books try to bang into your head. Yet, we are resistant to it. For some reason the majority of us are unable to enact the simple rule.

The simple rule is - Your life sucks because your thoughts suck. Or, in nicer terms - we are a direct result of what goes on in our brain.

In other words: if you change your mind, you change your life.

Simple, right?

So why do we all struggle with this simple concept? Why is something so simple on the surface so difficult to enact?

I admit, I struggle with this concept every single day. Let's dive into how we can continue to overcome the mental challenges and head in the direction we actually want to in life.

Our Environment

The first impact on us is our environment and what we experience. Events, society, family & friends all play into this.

As social creatures we absorb our surroundings and whether we are aware of it or not, we get molded into what is around us.

How we react to this is biological. We want to be a part of our surroundings - so we become them.

The only way to avoid this is by being aware of what is happening. As W.Clement Stone said, “Adapt your environment and you will change what you become.”

Our Beliefs

In Robert Kiyosaki's book ‘Retire Young, Retire Rich’ he writes this phrase over and over again, emphasizing that his rich dad repeated it to him and it stuck with him throughout his life.

The issue could be summarized with this quote alone. Because our beliefs create our reality, what we believe is what is real. Therefore, what we think is real becomes reality.

Take a moment to absorb this quote and really think about it. You will begin to see how much of what you believe impacts how you see the world, how you feel, how you operate day to day, and how you choose to live your life.

Every single decision we make and what we do stems from what we believe to be real. I could write an entire article on this and maybe I will.

So again, you change your thoughts - you change your life.

Our Story

Let's break down this topic a bit further.

We all have a story. Every single piece of our life is a story and we are living it.

Our stories drive us and it guides what we do on a daily basis. Every day is a new page or a new chapter in this story. The problem is, most of the story is written by a ghostwriter, who is dictating everything we do!

In other words, we operate on autopilot over 90% of the time.

Take a moment right now and think about why you are reading this. Why are you in front of your computer? Why are you snacking?

When we sit and ask ourselves these questions, we can take a look at the precursor that triggered what we are doing. Most of the time we are just mindlessly going about our days. What a way to live!

Change your story

When you begin realizing that the majority of the things you do aren't controlled by you, you can begin to change it.

This takes awareness. If you've read my other newsletters you've seen me mention the utmost importance of self-awareness. Applying this principle will determine whether or not you can truly change something.

The good news is, it doesn't need to be overnight. We can take small steps to get to where we want to be.

It's your story and you're in charge of how it is written.

The first step:

• Write down what you want your day to look like. Write down even the most miniscule detail you can think of. Feel this and get carried away with it.

• Go through what you just wrote. What is the easiest thing for you to change right now?

• From there, begin to rewrite the picture in your brain. For example: you tell yourself you’re going to exercise next time. Better yet, get up and do it now.

By repeating these steps, I developed a consistent exercise regimen. I no longer say things like, "I should go to the gym or I need to workout". Now it’s, "I AM going", and I go.