We all have them. We decide, on an individual basis, if the voice is our conscious or unconscious mind, the “devil”, “God”, “ego” or some random fictional character of our own creation. We decide who it is based on our initial reaction to what “they” are saying to us.
I refer to mine as “negative Sarah” and “positive Sarah”. As an example of how it works in my life, the other morning I woke up tired and lethargic which usually brings out the negative in me. “This will be a crappy day, difficult to get through and depressing, no matter what I do.” I have heard this voice before, many times. Sometimes I listen to it, accepting what it says as TRUTH. Other times, when I am strong enough, I reject its message and replace it with another, more positive one.
So, on this particular morning, when I heard “negative Sarah” talking, my shoulders drooped (if not literally, then certainly they drooped in a figurative sense), my heart sunk and I tried to prepare myself for the gloomy day ahead. Maybe I should just go back to bed, I though despondently.
Oh please!! The “positive Sarah” was awake and alert to what was going on inside my head. “You know you have a choice,” she said quietly, but with conviction. “I know that!” I replied. “Well? You could make this a good, or even great day, if you chose to!” Knowing she was right, I envisioned myself pushing through the negative messages and creating a good day for myself. It felt challenging, but certainly worth a try. And so I did. I didn’t try, I did it. I pushed through the kind of day my negative self had in store and created one that was positively delightful.
Hmmm. What does this tell us? Every hour of every day we have a choice between something positive and something negative. A choice between happiness or sadness. The power lies within. You do not have to listen to the negative messages being fed to you by (insert your preferred name here). You can, instead, “push through” them to get to the good stuff.
Have you known people, or even been friends with people who are always seeing the grey of life? No matter how good things seem to you, they see darkness and misery. If you hang around people like that long enough it begins to rub off on you. If you are sensitive to that kind of thing you can actually feel the negativity rubbing against your skin, trying to get inside. Stay away from those people! Or at the very least, limit your contact.
Most of us want to be happy and live joyful lives. It doesn’t “happen” to you, it is created by you. Yes, we are each responsible for our own happiness. Sound daunting? It doesn’t have to be. Make the choice, every day, to see good in everything. This is most challenging when things around you do not appear to be good. That happens to all of us. The trick here is not to put too much stock in appearances. They are not real. They are ever changing. That is a huge subject for another blog, or two blogs.
Suffice it say that when you hear the negative voices in your head, know that you have a choice, to either listen to them and follow their lead, or to tell them “Thanks for sharing but I am not interested today.” Choose rather the positive voice. Push through and create a wonderful day, a beautiful experience, a lovely memory. YOU HAVE THE POWER. Use it!