We've all experienced negative thoughts, that's normal. But even though we live in an imperfect world, and we experience pain, we still have the power to choose or redirect every thought.
It starts when we're little. Our life experience begins to fill up our memory banks. We may not remember the first day of third grade, but somehow we remember the day the teacher embarrassed us in front of the class, with her hurtful demeanor.
Memories that caused pain are interwoven with good ones. It's like weeds growing in the flower bed. Bad memories can pop up and try to strangle new, positive expectations.
In order to break free, we need to clean out our "garden of thought" and make room for new growth. We must stretch our minds like flowers reach for the sun. And this stretching has to be done regularly, if not, we'll begin to tighten up again.
What causes this tiny arena of possibility?
I believe it has a lot to do with how we were raised. Our perception of the world formulates around the words and actions of our parents. Which sets up our level of thinking.
The environment we grow up in molds our minds. During my childhood I heard my parents fight a lot about money. My mom and dad argued over the checkbook enough times that it made an imprint on my mind about the subject of money.
It helped foster a limited, restricted mindset concerning money. Which grew into fear, the fear of running out of it.
I love my parents and they loved me. And although they didn't always fight, those heated arguments affected me unconsciously. So as I grew, my thoughts and expectations stayed small. I began to live small. I was drawn to clearance racks.
Being frugal isn't a bad thing by any means, that's wise. However, being forced to scrape by is not living up to my potential. I had to break free from my "bargain-basement, marked-down" mindset!
Let's fast forward. I've re-trained my thinking. That's the only way to do it. If my mind got small from thinking small, then it can get big from thinking big! I'm not talking about getting a "big head" here. LOL.
By allowing my mind to focus on bigger, hope-filled possibilities it expands to accept them. And since I allow the truth of Gods word to to take root, it continually sets me free. My previous thoughts were lying to me over and over. They were telling me I'd always be bound, but they were wrong!
I met the Master Thinker!
One of my favorite stories in the bible is when Jesus goes fishing with Peter. Peter was prone to limited thinking prior to meeting Christ. He was used to doing things a certain way. He was a professional fisherman by trade. And he had given up on catching fish that particular day, but Jesus said to "give it one more try."
Jesus gave Peter a word of instruction. "Launch out into the deep, let down your nets for a catch." Peter and his crew obeyed. After they had done this they caught so many fish that the nets began to break! (Luke 5:6)
NET BREAKING MINDSET
I began to imagine myself, as if I was right there in that boat with Jesus, and He said to ME: "launch out into the deep, let down your nets for a catch." For up until now, you've had limited expectations.
He wouldn't have said it, if there wasn't going to be a catch! Not only a catch (small success) but a NET-BREAKING CATCH!
Not only was it possible to bring in a days wage, (a catch) but it was possible to bring in a years worth in a single day!
This example has helped me expand my mind to all of the net-breaking possibilities available. Not only with wages but in all things. My former mindset was full of lies, now my present mindset is overflowing with truth!
We still have debts we are paying, but now we have a different plan, and we can see them be eliminated much faster.
I'm no longer afraid of the lack of money and I'm not chained to a traditional 9-5 job anymore. You don't have to be either. We all were designed with too much creativity to be "married" to a time clock-one that dictates how we live our life.
God is a very BIG thinker and a much bigger doer. My husband and I have had the privilege of being introduced to the network marketing concept. Don't let that word scare you or lie to you.
IT'S A GOOD THING...
Thankfully my mind was open to the enormous possibility. My former fear-based mind might have turned it away. Today I am able to work from home with my husband and children. That to me- is worth it all!
I'm still growing. Remember that life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the process and see more progress! My goal is to read something from a positive book every day. That helps me stay free.
Begin to build your "dream muscles" start thinking bigger. Allow yourself to become stretched on the inside first, then it will manifest on the outside. :)
With God-all things are possible! (Believing that, is your part.)
Do you believe in boat sinking, net-breaking possibilities? I do.
