From my early teens, I have been a lover of tea. I have a morning and evening ritual, enhanced by the most beautiful teacups gifted to me by two clients. One perfect for morning - huge, round and sturdy. The other more modest in size, delicate and fine, complete with saucer. Perfect for the evening wind down.
My daily tea rituals provide me with a moment to pause and remind myself to be mindful of my thoughts. Because, thoughts are just like teabags. Without the water, a teabag is not of much use. We give the tea it's 'life' when we add the water.
In the same way, we give thoughts power when we choose to give them energy and consciousness ie. the ‘water’. Whether it’s inspired or unhelpful, a thought without energy and consciousness remains nothing but just that – a thought. A snippet of information, a message, an idea, a vision or a put-down that we choose to either add water to (give life), or move along. There is a misconception that our thoughts drive our actions, when it's our belief system that drives our actions. Our beliefs lie dormant in us until they are triggered by an external event, creating a thought. IF you choose to give that thought energy and consciousness it will create an emotion, and it’s the emotion that drives us to take action. As human beings, we spend most of our time moving towards something that makes us feel ‘good’, away from something that makes us feel ‘bad’ (uncomfortable), or we will stay in something that feels familiar (regardless of how it makes us feel). Removal or reversal of an unhelpful thought is not as easy as some may have us believe (just think more positively). We do have this power, but if the thought is a direct result of a belief, it makes sense this is the place to begin. Like a lot of things in life, simple, but not always easy.
Removing an unhelpful belief takes work and time and energy. And, often I've required help. But, the joy of breaking through - removing a thought that does not serve me - is truly euphoric.
Are there any thoughts you're ‘adding water to’, maybe on a daily basis?
“I’m not qualified or experienced enough to step into a leadership role.”
“I can’t start the business that has been a secret dream for so many years.”
“What if I begin the creative pursuit I dream about, and I fail?”
“I’m too old to try something new (even though it’s been tap, tap, tapping away at me for years).”
“No-one will want to love me.”
“I’m not smart enough.”
“I would, if only I had more confidence”
“I don’t know how.”
“I don’t know where to start…..so I won’t”.
“It feels so uncomfortable facing this that I’ll make an excuse of why I can’t. I’ll lie to them and also myself.”
"I'm a terrible leader/parent/partner/friend."
Maybe, you have your own you can insert here? If we keep adding water, and maybe some milk and sugar, these thoughts will brew and darken and become stronger. When we keep giving unhelpful thoughts consciousness and energy, we grant them power to sabotage our dreams and desires. Symptoms include feeling stuck, indecisive, repeating patterns (why does this keep happening to me?), making choices that don't feel good in our bodies (or light up our soul). We may live a reactive life, (allowing external events to knock us off course) rather than a conciously creative life.
We create our worlds from the inside out. When we focus on the internal, rather than the external, our world changes in extraordinary ways. And, the best news? Anyone can do this! Step 1 - Pop the kettle on and make yourself a cup of tea.
If you'd like to learn how more about your thoughts and how they impact your life and career, with me as your coach; if you are ready to take the next step to expansion, creation and leadership I have two opportunities open right now.
1. 2022 SKY HIGH LEADERSHIP LOUNGE. 6 months group coaching for high performers. Past clients have stepped into a promotion, expanded their business, created more money, deepened their emotional intelligence, are more fulfilled and happier at work and stepped into more confident and courageous leadership. They also forged friendships for life. Immediate start - no waiting. For all the info CLICK HERE.
2. If you prefer online learning, the 2022 online course LEAD is also currently open. A 3-week intensive online program. CLICK HERE for more information.