Quiet your thoughts and take control

"If January is the month of change, February is the month of lasting change. January is for dreamers, and February is for doers. " Marc Parent

I have been MIA for the last four days. Counting those days in my head doesn’t leave a sour taste in my mouth so much as admitting to it for everyone to hear. The part that makes me feel even worse is that I haven’t wanted to go out and take pictures in a long time. I’ve told myself its lack of time, lack of inspiration, etc. But my mentor reminded me that I’m overthinking things and I just need to go for a walk. Remember your goal of showing the world the beauty in the simple things.

How often do we find ourselves overthinking certain aspects of our lives? Whether it's our dreams or goals, relationships, or jobs? Random fact: the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. There is a neurologic institute that studied the human brain and said that 95% of our thoughts are exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before and about 80% are negative. 95% of our thoughts are exactly the same as the day before. How insane is it to know that only 5% of our thoughts each are about something new? Add to the fact that 80% of those SAME thoughts are negative. The reason that we are so often quick to throw in the towel is that our brains are basically wired to sabotage ourselves.

How often do we find ourselves being our own personal cheerleaders? How often are we utilizing our own minds to achieving our goals, improving our relationships, or excelling at our jobs? You may have spent January trying to improve yourself and promoting change in your life. Maybe you haven’t done as well as you have hoped or maybe you are doing just fine. Use this month as a way to take back control of your thoughts and your dreams.

Take some time today to reflect on your thoughts and goals. Remind yourself how amazing you are, give yourself a little grace, lift up your chin and get yourself on the path you’d like to be on. Then, sit back and watch your amazing self kick ass.