An antidote to destructive thought

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

At the top of my to-do list I have two things listed out:

  1. I have everything I need
  2. People want to hear my message

These notes serve as a reminder not to let the inner critic overwhelm.

When I’m feeling behind, stressed that I don’t have enough time to get it all done, or worried that I won’t get enough people to my next course, I remind myself that I already have everything I need — an amazing partner in Tim, two gorgeous and funny girls, a supportive family, a warm home, yummy food and a solid and safe community. Jackpot, really! It’s great to feel propelled by work and excited to create, but a moment of gratitude really does help me keep it all in perspective if I err on the side of alarm — and suddenly the to-do list deflates back into its rightful place.

The second note has to do with that moment of self-doubt that anyone doing something new experiences: questions that creep in like am I being too promotional? Am I posting on social too much? Is this worth it?

In these moments I remind myself that people want to hear my message — not everyone, of course. Many people won’t. But the people that do, well those people need to me to keep creating, sharing and working for them. When I switch from viewing my efforts as promotional, to reminding myself that I do it all to provide value, then suddenly I feel there’s nothing more important I could be doing right now.

What destructive thoughts can you flip around? What reminders will you add to your to-do list?

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