The Lies We Tell (ourselves)
Find Your Flourish: Mastering Midlife. This is a true view into the daily routine of a 40-something year old woman. As individuals, we speak to ourselves in our own mind many times long before anyone else can stop us from achieving greatness. We use our own negative thoughts as dream killers to what we want to accomplish. Why do we do this? Why do we hold ourselves back from achieving goals in our own lives? Some of the time it relates directly back to the fear of having be accountable once you have succeeded. Others will then expect more from you and possibly rely on you even more. Another reason stems from the fear of failure. You may have achieved something last month; however there is always the risk in life that you may not have that same success again.
List of a few Common Lies
Lie 1: I will do it tomorrow
This is an age old lie that we have been telling ourselves since forever. We always want to push something off until the next day as if that will change the impact or effort it is going to take for us to get something done. It is the same today and tomorrow. Tomorrow you may just be closer to your deadline. Do that thing today, because you don’t want to keep delaying your start.
Lie 2: If I my life was like that person’s life, I would be living much better.
This relates directly to another age old saying: the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The original saying comes from a Greek poet named Ovid from first century B.C. The time was so long ago and individuals then still had to deal with some of the same personal challenges we do today. This saying can be found in other cultures around the world and really can be a warning. The grass you are looking at looks green, while those same people are looking at your grass and thinking your grass is greener than theirs. We should be keen enough to know that everyone deals with challenges and has some deficits. It is just difficult to see this when we are in a situation that is less than ideal.
Lie 3: If I had more money, my problems would be solved.
Money is not the answer to everything. But it can buy everything except peace of mind. I do know that money does create many opportunities that having less money does not, but do not let your current financial status limit your ability to dream and then make a plan to succeed.
Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none.
Richard M. DeVos
Lie 4: I will never be able to…..
You can fill in the blank with whatever you want. I will never be able to be the mother to three children and be a professional. I will never be able to write a blog on a regular basis. I will never be able to work out regularly. I will never be able to meal plan with all the other things I have to do. I will never be able to homeschool my children. I will never be able to do all these work projects and household chores. I will never be able to get all my children to their activities and still have time to do things I want to do.
These are all statements I have told myself; however I have been able to do all those things and more. I just had to adjust my mindset and put other supports in place. The matter of succeeding and loosing is such a small difference in the beginning. The continuing to success becomes a challenge because it requires a total mindset shift; a complete change in thinking.
Have you told yourself any lies lately?
I am passionate about optimal work life balance. You can excel in both areas without compromising in either area. I have found systems of planning, organization, and personal development that help achieve goals. I created this blog to discuss topics on our journey. Come on this journey with me and Find Your Flourish!
Be you, be focused, be well! Find Your Flourish! |Shanna|
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All of these! I have told myself all of these!!! It is hard sometimes to not get caught up in what is going on around you and then you start to compare and it gets ugly!
Laura- Yes, comparison can be the thief of joy, along with a negative mindset. It does become a challenge not to look around at what others are doing because we are all so easily connected through social media. Staying focused on yourself has to be made a priority. Thank you for reading! |Shanna|
Oh yes, so guilty of some of these! I need to adjust my mindset! xxx
Claire- Hopefully this post gave you some ways that you can develop your mindset in a positive way. I think most people can relate to at least one of these statements because our mind is such a fragile thing. We have o provide it with positive thoughts daily. |Shanna|
Ahh! I always say I will do something tomorrow and never do. It is the biggest lie that I tell myself and I always say to myself I will just sit down for 5 minutes and half an hour later I am still sat scrolling on social media. lol
Kim- It is such an easy one to tell ourselves. And I can relate to that sit down for 5 minutes and time passes so quickly. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate you. |Shanna|
Wise words, I have told myself all these lies and more, I have too many things I want to do and then end up doing none!
Jenny- I believe the key to moving ahead when we want to do so much is organization so we don’t feel so overwhelmed. It is so easy to feel this way since there is so much that has tone completed during the day along with things we just want to do for ourselves. |Shanna|
Good post. I read Maus a decade ago and the father in the camp said ‘Not everyone here will die, some people will survive, so why not me?’ and everything he did from that moment on was to survive. It really struck a chord with me, so I now always say ‘Why not me?’ and it really alters your headspace. If you don’t do what needs to be done, it won’t happen, but if you do then why not you? Good post. #Blogtober
Lydia- Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I really enjoy this mindset. The way of thinking you described is phenomenal. It is definitely mind altering when you think “Why not me?” Awesome! |Shanna|
If I had more money is such a true statement. I knew many people who spoke like this and they would constantly complain in life. It good to tell yourself life is okay and just be positive.
Positive thinking can really affect your daily outlook. It does help you to strive for better even when it seems difficult. Thank you for commenting. I appreciate it! |Shanna|