As a coach I spend a lot of time teaching my clients about how their thoughts create their feelings, which lead to certain actions and results in their lives. As a human who likes to understand herself, I spend a lot of time noticing the effects of this phenomenon in my own life. As a mom, I’m completely fascinated with how clear it is to observe in our kiddos.
Last weekend I was in the pool with my four year old. She recently started to swim a little on her own, and was super excited to show me all of her new skills. “Look at me blow bubbles mommy!!!” “See how well I can kick mommy?!!” “Watch me float on my back like a starfish mommy!!” She was so proud of herself.
Then I asked her if she wanted to jump in off the side. Her whole demeanor changed. She hunched her shoulders. The smile disappeared from her face, and as she slowly got out of the pool, she said, “Mommy, I’m scared.” I told her it was ok to be scared, and that I get scared sometimes too, but I promised to catch her. She listened and hesitantly said, “Okay mommy.” Then I suggested she try and tell herself, “I can do this,” and she said it once quietly. Then she said it again, and again—each time getting louder. As she said it, I noticed the smile return to her face and her entire disposition changed.
Then she jumped. She squealed, “Again, again!” and repeatedly said, “I can do this,” and jumped in. Eventually she said, “Mommy, I’m just gonna say I can do this in my head.” She continued to jump in over and over again.
I was witnessing how our thoughts create our feelings and lead to actions, right before my eyes. When she thought/said, I’m scared, she didn’t feel great and became timid. When she changed her thought to, I can do this, she was happy and energized—which gave her the confidence to just go for it.
Now I know as adults, most of us have bigger things to think about than jumping into a pool, but the same rules apply. When we focus on the thoughts that make us feel icky, we hold back in life—we don’t “just go for it.” When we get caught up in our worries and fears, we often don’t live up to our potential. On the flip side, when we face our fears and tell ourselves things like I can do this, or I’m not giving up—no matter what, we fuel ourselves with the good feelings that allow us to thrive. It’s actually as simple as that!
That’s it—that’s all I got for ya!
Happy day!
P.S.-Feel free to leave a comment…I love hearing from you!
