Enough!

Being dubbed “Mr Motivation” by some, because of these blogs, I often find myself replaying conversations in my mind and I have to admit that I do cringe at some of the negativity that I generate. Somebody even said to me, that I should read some of my own blogs…

I guess I am as susceptible to my surroundings and the constant torrent of outside influences as the next person. All the books and motivational speakers say that you should surround yourself with positive people and things that lift you up rather than drag you down. This of course would be ideal, but we live in a world where, to describe it as gently as possible, people don’t always have the best intentions at heart, others are suffering from hurts or are physically ill. So I don’t think we can escape the negativity completely. The key though is to recognise when those negative influences are starting to make an impact on how you think and take corrective action before it affects the way you behave. Every action or word spoken started as a thought in your mind. Almost nothing we do these days, is by instinct alone. In a way, everything has been pre-meditated and influenced by what we have allowed to enter our thoughts.

What have you allowed to influence your thinking in the last 24 hours?

The emphasis is on the word ‘allowed’, as you have a choice to let that thought run rampant or you can take it captive and say, “Enough!” and direct your attention towards where you want to be.

Being a reserved sort of person I often sit quietly, but I have to carefully watch where my thoughts wander. It is very easy to start sliding down that path of negativity and once going, the spiralling free-fall picks up speed at an incredible rate. The earlier you raise the alarm, the less work it is to get back up to the top again as you wouldn’t have lost much altitude. Run with the negativity and you will find dark and overgrown places that will ensnare you. Breaking free may even seem impossible, and in fact, it could become so dark you may not even remember the heights you descended from. I hope this message reminds someone that there is more, far more than the darkness you find yourself surrounded in. Trust and believe. Take that first step away from the negativity and just keep on moving. Before long you will be making your way back up. Make an effort to tell someone close to you what you are doing. This climb is easier with someone who is strong and willing to reach out a hand. Beware of slipping as it is very easy to fall back into familiar thought patterns. A single word, “Enough!” and put that thought behind you and begin regaining the altitude you deserve.

For me, music is a great motivator. Songs with meaningful, heartfelt lyrics provide me with measures of inspiration. As a wannabe guitarist, I really admire the skills of the artists playing their instruments. I take note of how the sounds build and subside, how different instruments lead at different times of a song and how the producer has brought all these elements together. A song can take me straight back to a time and place, where I can almost smell what I could at that snapshot moment.

Find something that inspires you and bring that into focus when you feel yourself stumbling or when your thoughts start drifting back into the depths again. It’s one thing to say, ”Enough”, but you need that ‘go to place’ to replace the negative thoughts or they will creep back and take centre stage again.
 

I know I am going to be challenged with this, but my goal from today is to be more encouraging and stop the spread of negativity. I hope I will have some partners in this goal who can, not only keep me accountable but also be there, if or when I start slipping. 

Day 1 START.