“I took a vacation, but I still feel stressed”
“I got promoted, but I still feel insignificant”
“I started a side hustle, but I still have serious doubts”
.
.
Those are some internal contradictions I was going through for many years. and I talk to many people who had same feelings — being stuck internally even when they’re blessed externally.
What’s going on!
Thoughts.
Your feeling is connected to your thoughts.
No-brainer!
But this took me years and TONS of mistakes to get it.
I tried the typical self-help tricks — close your eyes, shut out the noise and force positive thinking.
They didn’t work.
Because a state of positive thoughts is much more than a short-term goal. and the last thing I wanted to do was to cheat my brain and live on painkillers.
What I needed, is a trusted source who always provide me with positive thoughts, and trigger in me a constant state of appreciation and a good mood.
Looking for that source was a turning point.
Here were my next steps!
#1 Understand where thoughts come from.
Different people have different beliefs about where thoughts come from.
Scientists believe that thoughts are made inside of your head when electrical signals go out to neurons and then neurons fire. While spiritual beings believe that thoughts are sent to us from the outside.
We all may differ in how we express our faith — and I claim no judgment toward those who believe otherwise.
I’m a firm believer that useful & fulfilling thoughts come from GOD. while lies and doubtful thoughts come from Evil.
Once again, GOD and Evil can be different things to different people.
It’s not what they are for you, but what they have to offer that matters.
They supply thoughts.
GOD is the source of rewarding thoughts. He knows you better than you know yourself, and His plans for you are worth following! He cares about what you think and feel, and he listens when you talk to him.
Evil is the enemy and father of Lies. He has one central idea: to distract you from feeling gratitude for God’s many blessings. he wants to hurt you if you give him permission.
But here is the thing.
Knowing your enemy’s weapon is the name of the game.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
— Sun Tzu
The enemy is tough but don’t worry, I’ve got your back..
To defeat him, be cautious of his secret weapon against you.
Doubting thoughts.
He uses this weapon in sneaky long-term plan to keep you in doubt.
Let’s see this case study when I decided to start a writing side hustle :
- Thoughts from GOD: getting up early in the morning, everything feels so fresh. I have enough time and feel full of energy and creativity to set up my writing side hustle.
- Thought from Evil: Hey Mr. Coworker, You’re doing a great job! I just want to make sure you’re aware that you have so many things to work on to be a successful writer. there are already many big writers and It’s too late to start this.
SNEAKY!
Trying hard to distract me from that gratitude feeling when you earned it.
#2 Pay attention to what you’re exposed to most of the time
The thoughts and feelings that we feed in our brains and flow through our minds set the stage for what we do and who we become.
for years, my thoughts were frequently consumed by parties, and looking at pictures of people on Instagram who had everything that I wanted.
I started to feel my daily routine was becoming boring, and my life seemed to lack structure. I had no future goals or a desire to learn new skills.
You’ve seen it before:
What you’re exposed to has the potential to influence your feelings.
Multiple ways to get good exposure :
- Be very appreciative of how lucky you are to see the sunrise. each day that comes recognize that you have that day ahead of you to kick ***
- Broaden your mind, Spend some time learning new things, and explore the world.
- Spend some time on self-reflection. what were your majority of thoughts about in the last week? how are you feeling? Is something on your mind?
- My favorite way is my prayer and meditation, it clears my mind — and when your mind is clear everything else flows smoothly.
Final thoughts
You’ve got enemies? Good! That means you actually stood up for something in your life.
— Eminem
Most of us want more from our lives than just an easy ride. We want to make changes, we want to stand up for what we believe in and achieve our dreams.
Along the way — your enemy will keep trying — if you please him then nothing would ever get done!
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Thank you for reading and your support.
— Ihab
