Banish the Box: How to Repossess Your Life (Part Three)

Banish the Box Part Three: Stop Showing Up for Rehearsal!

Do you sometimes beat yourself up over past mistakes - even if you don't want to? How many times have you sworn you would let something go, but you keep coming back to it?

This is one of the conundrums of that powerful organ that sits between your ears - your beautiful brain. It houses a very great and useful tool called memory. But the problem with your memory is that it is so uncontrollable it often randomly fetches negative words, images, and experiences that you'd rather forget. These debilitating thoughts, if not properly replaced, will eventually lead to actions that can stunt your growth and keep you from enjoying the life God intended you to have. 

Enter The Box again... that ominous obstacle that keeps you restrained by fear, doubt, and low self-esteem.

Here's how it sometimes plays out:

You want to feel strong and confident, but every time you try, you're confronted by the memory of  when your childhood bully embarrassed and belittled you in front of the whole class.

You want to enjoy a healthy, trusting relationship, but you're driven away by the painful memory of your father abandoning you as a child.

You want to pursue a career as an actor, but those old tapes of your parents and others telling you "that's not a real job" keep you paralyzed from even trying out, even though you know you've got the talent.

Why do these memories have such powerful influence over your actions? Because you keep rehearsing them. And as you know, anything you rehearse long enough eventually becomes a part of you. In other words, your past experiences are here to stay. They are a major factor in making you the person that you've become. But the news gets better! Even though you can't erase your past, you DO have the power to close the door on it. 

Ready to break free? Here's how.

When those old negative films start rolling across your mind, instead of allowing them to automatically take over, meet them with new words and images; ones that support the truth. And what is the truth? The bully is no longer around to torture you and he never actually had any real power over your life. Your father may have flown the coop, but that was his choice and it doesn't mean you're not worthy of love and commitment. Your parents may have discouraged you from pursuing an acting career, but you don't have to allow their fears to become your own.

God wants you to use the phenomenal power of choice you've been given to RENEW your mind on a daily basis. You're free to disconnect from the negatives you've been given and chart a whole new path for yourself. So, the next time you're invited to rehearse the thoughts and memories that keep you down and discouraged, decline to indulge. Your time is better spent getting to know the you that God always envisioned. That's the person the world is waiting to meet!

Banish the Box: How to Repossess Your Life (Part Two)

Part Two: It's NOT About What You Stop, It's About What You Start

Have you ever tried to kick a bad habit? Hard isn't it?

Can I tell you why?

It's because you're focused on the wrong thing. 

Change doesn't happen by what you stop doing, but by what you start doing. When you focus on trying to stop doing something, you exhaust yourself physically and emotionally. This happens because all of your potential power is being given to the negative instead of to what's positive.

It takes only one step to start something new. It takes several steps to stop doing something old. So consequently, when you endeavor to stop repeating a bad habit, you feel more stressed and you struggle more. But if you exert that same energy toward making a simple step in the opposite direction, you'll find that you feel less stressful and more empowered. Make sense?

Here are a few examples of how to put this tip into action:

• Instead of trying to stop overeating by restricting yourself to 800 calories a day, start eating a half-sized portion of what you normally eat at each meal
• Instead of trying to stop complaining so much, start repeating a favorite affirmation to yourself out loud in the mirror every morning after you wake up
• Instead of trying to stop watching so much late night TV, start setting an alarm or a reminder to cut the TV off at a certain time each night.

Extra Tip: Every time you complete a START, make note of it, perhaps in a journal, by making a short video blurb, or being accountable to your spouse or friend. Each victory will spur you on to the next one.

As I ALWAYS suggest, PRAY and enlist God's help. Without Him, we can do nothing. Take action one day at a time and share your progress. I'm looking forward to celebrating with you!

"Mile by mile, it's a trial; yard by yard, it's hard, but inch by inch, it's a cinch!"

~ Anonymous