Viruses of the Mind

Having spent a few nights in Jo'burg this week, I can happily report that I love my own home and I miss my family that makes it home. How people do this on a regular basis for even longer periods is beyond my comprehension. Surely one gets married and has a family to be a part of it not apart from it?

I can also report that I enjoy my own company. As much as I missed my family, I really do enjoy quiet spaces and just kickin' back with me and my thoughts. Most people will probably understand that certain people are like this, even if they can't relate because they crave the company of others. For an an introvert, I think it is imperative to be comfortable with yourself, otherwise there may be a risk of a feeling that there is absolutely no-one you are truly comfortable with. It can also be an extremely lonely experience if you can't enjoy being with yourself.
I say this is important for introverts as I know from personal experience, but I also believe we should all have enough self-worth to appreciate periods of quiet time without becoming derogative towards yourself. There are people who constantly criticise themselves and are overly critical of everything they do. I used to be there and I can tell you it is a very unhappy place to be. Slowly I started to realise that there are certain things I can do fairly well, I have certain (positive) characteristics that make me distinct and actually I can be a "pretty nice guy". This transformation did not happen over-night, but was a slow shift of recognising the negative thoughts and stopping them before they tainted my mind completely. Consciously switching to something that I could remember doing well or a goal I was working towards and the progress made thus far. It is not easy and takes discipline and constant monitoring of your thoughts. I guess it's a bit like a computers anti-virus for your mind!

We all have those dark and dreadful incidents we are better off forgetting, that keep dropping into our minds. Don't let them pull you down from where you have advanced to. Take that incident and see how you have survived and over-come it. It was terrible and nothing can change that now, but don't let that rule over you and keep you in that dark space forever. You are worth far more than that. You are stronger than that. You deserve far greater than that.

Activate that anti-virus and clean out those negative-thought-viruses that are hampering your system and get yourself back to optimum performance.