If there is one thing I would love for you to walk away with after reading this article, it is the understanding that you have the power to experience any challenge in your life as a positive and an opportunity for growth. Notice I didn’t say some challenges. I said any challenge. And the way you ultimately experience these challenges is through the thought process.
I love the phrase, “What you think is what you get.” And when I finally learned how important that phrase was, my life began to transform dramatically for the better.
If you expect to prevail during tough times, you must understand that it is your current perception of the situation that either gives you hope or makes you want to give up to a lost cause. If you’re always thinking about how you can’t get a fair shake, you will always feel miserable. It’s like the saying, “Misery loves company.”
Being miserable doesn’t exactly attract good things, does it? If you want to change your life for the better, start by consciously changing what you think and what you say.
In every situation (especially during tough times), life is always asking you this one question: “Who do you think you are?” Who you think you are in any given moment is who and what you will become. Not only will this profound question determine how you treat yourself, but also how others treat you.
So when you are confronted with a challenging situation or experiencing difficult times and a decision needs to be made, remember what life is always asking you. “Who do you think you are?” In that moment, you will enter into a state of awareness. It’s not the awareness of a misfortunate or stressful situation. It’s the awareness that perhaps you are not feeling right, that there is emotional duress in your world.
It’s also being aware that in this state of awareness, you have a choice in dealing with it and how to respond. Most people go through the course of their lives unaware that their negative thoughts and emotions are steering the course of their lives.
Whatever challenges you are facing, whatever your desires are—be it respect, appreciation, success, happiness or love—it all comes down to how you evaluate yourself in any situation. The outcome is determined by who you think you are. When a healthy outcome seems to be an impossibility, remember to shift your perspective to a productive way of thinking. Anything else is just being a danger to yourself.
Know that there is something greater in you that can meet any challenge head on. Say it out loud: “I am bigger than any challenge!” Ask yourself: “What are my choices here?” “What will the consequences be if I respond to this situation with anger or fear?” “How can I turn this around to be advantageous for everyone involved?” “What will the short and long-term consequences be with this decision I’m about to make?” “How will it affect my family, friends and business associates?” “What can I learn from this?”
When this simple strategy becomes a habit, you will come to know that no situation, circumstance, or person can take your power away from you, unless you allow it to happen.
The pathway to a successful and happier life is more of an emotional decision than a change in circumstance. In other words, you have to make a decision to change the way that you think and what you are focusing on daily. When you decide to spend more time and energy viewing life through the eyes of love, hope and optimism, and less time trying to figure out why you are so unhappy, you will experience a wonderful transformation taking place within you and around you.
You can actually place yourself at the helm and steer the course of your life just by becoming aware of not only the damage you can create, but also the magic you can create, in any given moment. It all depends on who you think you are.
Related: If You Want to Change Your Life, Change What You Think
