When you consider people and things in your life to be grateful for what are you not thinking about that would be good for you if you did? Sometimes we choose the obvious and only go as far as those thoughts readily available. We hit the surface but we don’t go deep. Now, it’s time to dig deeper too. Examine everything. It is time to begin to think thoughts you may have never considered thinking before. So what are you not considering that if you did might make an amazing difference for you?

You don’t know yet, do you? That is because you have to actually stop and think about it.

What are you not thinking about right now? Well, of course there are countless things because we have a limited focus or conscious capacity. Not only that be we think repetitive thoughts along repetitive lines. Researchers tell us we don’t do a lot in the way of generating much new thinking from day to day. We think today much of what we thought about yesterday.

So consider this.

We think of people as geniuses or artists and great creative minds when they are able to think outside the box. We value those who think and create and do those things it never occurred to us to do. We appreciate those who think along lines that we never bother to. We may even revere these individuals.

Using this as an example – what can we begin to do for ourselves that could make an amazing difference? How can we begin to think outside the box and free up our minds to entertain other thought that may be quite beneficial? What can we begin to think about that we might have never ever considered thinking about before?

Well?

You have lived for how many years?  Have you ever thought to appreciate your feet for carrying you through life? Have you ever thought about how your feet and legs have made it possible for you to have traveled everywhere, all over, all along all this time? And you have always hated your toes or how your feet looked or your legs are too short or your calves to thick? Think about this: there may be something about you that you have never liked or thought to appreciate but that is the basis of much of everything you have ever done or accomplished.

What about your hands, your back, your ass your looks or your digestive system? There are so many things about you to appreciate that you may never have thought to.

You may be short or tall or thin or fat, you may be athletic or not, you may have a physical challenge have you ever thought to appreciate this about yourself. If not, why not?

If it never occurred to you – that too is an important point. It demonstrates what I said a moment ago. We think along routine lines and don’t venture out very far. Well, now you can.

Instead of looking at something as a limitation or that ‘thing about yourself you can’t quite accept’ what if you could? What if, instead on not liking it, you began to see it as an aspect of you that opened many alternate doors? What if that thing you didn’t like was actually responsible for many positive other things about you?

Some of us have found aspects of ourselves that are not to our liking. We may have focused on these during our lifetime, and we have let these bother us. We don’t like our nose or our eyes or our teeth? Well, even though we don’t like these what have these very things allowed us to do during our life? What if we didn’t have a nose or a mount or our eyes? How would life be different?

There are those thing about us that we don’t like but to others it does not matter. It is not an issue. Other people don’t think about us the way we do. That might not even notice if we didn’t speak about it. SO if it is not an issue for them why do we make it an issue for ourself?

Not only that but maybe that ‘thing we don’t like about ourself’ is something that they find charming or unique about us.

The point is that we have thought a certain way for so long that we think that is just the way it is. We accept it as gospel or the only way to think about it when, in reality, there may be many other ways to think about it that would be better ways to think. Maybe it could be anything else but we just have never thought about this way.

It may not actually be the way we think it is at all. Maybe it IS otherwise, but how would we know if you only considered it in one fashion.

It may not seem like anything you even want to be thankful about but when you open that possibility up many things can change. If you always do what you always did you will always get what you always got. It is not going to change when you keep it the same. BUT we can change it.

If you can change your perspective about what you thought was a limitation, or something you didn’t like about yourself, what else might change for the positive? If you spend less energy maintaining a problem where else might you put that energy. If you free yourself up from having one less problem what positive possibilities might become available.

Perhaps, you can stop it being a limitation and go beyond those thoughts and instead begin to develop a new more powerful and productive mindset. You may not have ever considered this as a possibility until now. Perhaps, you haven’t EVEN now but you could. What would it be like if you began to appreciate things about you that you never ever did before? What if you could take a new different positive perspective about yourself?

I am suggesting you begin to ‘grease the wheel’ to make things much easier for yourself.

Look at those things you appreciate about you and keep appreciating them. Then look for those things that you haven’t yet and begin to appreciate those too!

THEN look for those things you just might never appreciate about yourself and begin to open the door on new thinking that you might otherwise never do.

When you can develop flexibility in this way you will discover many new and exciting things waiting for you. When you can accept and embrace and validate in a positive way those things you considered negative, or less than glorious about you – you make room for many new positive thoughts and feelings and behaviors.

For example, some people have never tried eating certain foods because they didn’t like them as a child. So they have avoided eating them all along. They don’t even want to try eating them. It doesn’t even occur to them unless someone brings it up. BUT, if they would only taste these foods they may discover that they aren’t so bad. Perhaps, the food they have always avoided they may now discover is enjoyable, maybe even desirable. They would never, ever know this unless they are willing to try.

Here is an interesting little tidbit some parents already know. We can educate our taste buds to like things that we don’t presently, by repeated exposure.

Researchers claimed that it takes a dozen or more trials before we are willing to eat a food we don’t like. If we will try it multiple times we get more used to it and can actually begin to like it. In fact, it becomes more likely we will after numerous exposures.

Actually this is true for a number of things. I have mentioned before in other blog pages this process is the same when it comes to thinking in new and positive ways and developing new skills. Repetition opens the door and leads to a positive new habit.

Utilized in reverse it is an approach to de-sensitizing people from what they fear. When a person fears a particular insect or animal or object repeated exposure has been found to eliminate the fear. The feared item is brought into view at a safe distance, the person responds and the item removed. This is repeated until they know and feel that they are safe. Once safe the item is brought closer and the process repeats until eventually they are able to handle the item or do a task or behavior without the limiting feelings. Through repeated exposure they become accustomed to it, or familiar with it, and learn they no longer have to respond in the old unproductive limiting way.

When they no longer are afraid or limited by their feelings they are free to engage in new positive and productive behaviors. They think new thoughts, feel new feelings and do new things as a result. Their energy is released from the problem and it can now flow in new ways.

So you can learn to like new foods or get over fears using a similar targeted approach. You can begin to think new thoughts, feel new better positive feelings and learn new behaviors and skills using repetition in an applied fashion.

Of course, one has to be willing to try.

If one is not willing to try new ways then things remain the same.

If you want your life to change you have to change things in your life. Begin slowly if you must but begin. Look for more things to appreciate about yourself and you will find them. Keep finding ways to value who you are and you will find more and more. You will begin to feel better. The better you feel the more you can do. The more you can do the more you will want to do. It becomes something you look forward to and in time it becomes a natural way to think because you will have developed the habit.

It will never become a habit though if you don’t take the time and make the effort to make it one.

So it is up to you. Take it easy, make it gentle, but do it for yourself. Help yourself discover you true spirit and positive nature. It exists there inside you even if you never thought about it before. Great things exist inside you EVEN if you never thought so before. They do! You are amazing in so many ways and beyond all the ways you may already know. There are aspects about you that are incredible that you may never have noticed. There are all sorts of things about you that you  may never have given yourself credit for. Now, it is time.

Make your list today. Add to it. Keep doing it a little bit more each day. There are so many wonderful discoveries you will make along the way. Do it now.” Rex Sikes

Have a fun filled fabulous day!

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