Suck It Up

The title of this post isn’t exactly one that you would want or expect to hear coming from your coach, a friend or a loved one. You might think it’s rather insensitive. But believe me that when I’m saying ‘suck it up’, it’s coming from a place of tenderness.

Before I add my 2 cents, let me tell you a little bit about why I feel so passionate about the topic of mindset. I’m sure you’ll find that as you read what I’m about to tell you, you’ll be nodding your head in agreement as it’s really no big surprise.

We were born with a natural tendency to feel happiness when we get our way and to feel disappointment when we don’t. Do you know of any child, that when they want something so bad and mom or dad says ‘no’, the child automatically starts jumping up and down joyfully because they didn’t get what they wanted? Of course not! They pout, sometimes try to manipulate mom and dad into changing their minds, throw a fit sometimes, try to bargain with mom and dad, maybe even threaten to run away? :p And truth be told….

That natural tendency follows us into adulthood. Right? come on now. You know it’s true. Learning to be content and taking control of your thoughts and emotions is a LEARNED skill. It will never come natural. I repeat- NEVER come natural. You need to rewire your thought process to see the positive in the midst of the disappointments.

Our emotions (good or bad) are spearheaded by an event/a moment that has taken place in our lives. If we get our way and feel good, we’re happy. If we don’t get our way and feel bad, we’re upset, to say the least. We justify our poor attitudes with comments such as “I can’t control how I feel.” Or “my feelings can’t just switch from angry to elated” or “from depressed to loving life. It’s impossible,” we say…But is it?

The hard truth is that you DO have a choice. You get to choose what you’re going to think. You get to choose wether or not to camp out in sadness or to pick yourself up. You get to choose wether or not you’re going to find the good in a bad situation. You do need to acknowledge your feelings BUT you also have the choice to stay and play the victim or to stand move forward.

Here comes the really hard part, (I’m not gonna lie). KNOWING you have the choice to change your thoughts and then actually following through with it- EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT, is HARD STUFF! But it’s possible and so worth it!

Are you ready? Are you willing to start changing your thought pattern from negative to positive? It’s not an overnight sorta deal. It’s a daily, monthly, yearly, life long journey that will transform your life over time.

Am I alone in this? Is anyone else willing to learn how to transform your thought patterns from ones of defeat, sadness, boredom, purposeless to ones of purpose, victory, determination, satisfaction and joy?

Listen up….I preach it because I live it. I preach it because I practice changing my mindset and have seen and experienced the benefits of trudging through to the other side. I preach it, not because I’ve mastered it, but because I know how victorious it is to overcome. I preach it because it brings freedom, and I want others who are struggling to have that same freedom.

Trust that when you practice changing your mindset, other great things in life will follow…

Till next time friends,

Tara Fraser