Funny motivational speaker
Yesterday, I got out my bright blue carryon luggage to pack when I noticed a pocket that I’d never seen before. I’ve used this carryon suitcase many times weekly over the past year, and I’d missed this very convenient side pocket because, as a frequent flyer, I pack the same way every time. I’ve developed a pattern using other pockets, so I didn’t notice this additional feature.
Every waking moment our brain is at work sorting, culling, and departmentalizing the stacks of information coming our way. Because it has so much information to process, our mind automatically seeks patterns and shortcuts to cut down on the amount of work it has to do.
Our brain also creates patterns of responses — automatically, thoughts of flying fired off scary thought responses. To create a new model of thinking about flying, I had to replace my old negative thoughts with new positive thoughts.
Every time I thought of flying, I would spontaneously become fearful, and my heart would start racing. Instead of beating myself up over this ingrained pattern of response, I noticed, acknowledged my negative thought, then redirected to a positive view. Eventually, your negative thoughts will fade, and your positive thoughts will become a new pattern of response.
Example
“I notice you, fear of flying, but flying also allows me to show my daughters how a strong woman conquers challenges.”
or
“I recognize my fear of flying, but flying also allows me to achieve my dream of becoming a nationally recognized speaker safely.”
Exercise
Each time you notice and acknowledge the negative thought, redirect the negative perspective with pre-selected and memorized positive reframe.
