Mind Monsters

Those nagging frightful thoughts we have all day, every day telling us bad things about ourselves, bad things about others and even bad things about money, love, and relationships.

We hear them in our mind, and they are constantly showered upon us from the news, music, magazines the internet and even our friends and family. “I’m not good enough” , I’m not worth love”, I’m too fat, too skinny, too dumb, too short, tall, uneducated, poor etc..... to have what I desire in life.

While you are reading, think to yourself about how many time you have heard the voice in your head or even your own lips say the phrase “I can’t afford that”.

Whether we take notice of these negative thoughts that in turn become limiting beliefs or not, they are always running in the background of our minds. They surface loudly when we want something or try to do something we feel will bring us success or joy.

We are so busy and distracted in our lives that we seldom ever take the time to ask “Is this thought even mine or is this thought the belief of my parents, relatives or friends formed from their own personal experiences?
We have thousands of thoughts and beliefs programmed into us just by our parents alone that tend to shape our reality, even though they have nothing to do with our current existence , but once these mind monsters take hold with their long sharp claws,  they can be difficult it seems to get rid of them if we notice them at all.

I have a friend who likes to bake. When I first met her she used to put a metal cup of water in her oven whenever she baked a cake. I saw her do this on a couple of occasions. When I asked her why, she said :I don’t know. That’s how my mom always did it.” I was intrigued, so the next time I saw her mom, I told her what my friend (her daughter) was doing when she baked cake in the oven and that I was told it was because she did it. I asked why and got the same answer the daughter gave….I don’t know. My mom did it that way so I do too. This started to make me really curious and as it worked out a few weeks later I had the opportunity to meet my friend’s Grandmother.

The question was still stuck in my head with no answer. Why were the girls putting a metal cup of water in the oven when they baked a cake. I asked the grandmother who at first looked very confused. After some thought, she looked at me and started laughing out loud. I was surprised but waited till she was able to answer. They still do that? She asked. That’s silly. I used to add a cup of water to the stove when baking because I had a wood stove and made my cake mixes from scratch. Without the cup of water, the cake would come out dry because of the wood and the elevation we lived at.  I don’t do that anymore because I have an electric stove and buy cake already mixed.

Ask yourself…what am I doing in my life that may be keeping me stuck because of the thoughts and beliefs of my relatives. People growing up in the 40’s and 50’s were very poor. The terms “That’s too expensive or I can’t afford that” were very common. Those people had children who heard those phrases all growing up. Then, they became adults with children and repeated the same phrases to their children even if they actually could afford things yet the cycle continues.  And what about those self-deprivating beliefs like “I’m not qualified, Who am I to be successful, or I am not lovable or the hundreds of others not mentioned here. Certainly, our loving parents encouraged us to be and feel great.

Where do those nasty mind monsters come?

They come from fears we create inside about being judged, disliked and not part of the tribe.
Some of these fears are at the very root of our basic beliefs and are subconsciously intended to keep us safe and in homeostasis.
Almost all those thoughts are based on our perceptions of what we believe about other people’s success or failures. Rarely are they about our own selves, especially if we have never tried and failed ourselves.
But…you have a choice. You can choose to consciously ignore these negative thoughts that create limiting beliefs and let them continue to run in the background of your mind to create a limited, unfulfilling life.
Or
You can recognize them as Mind Monsters, acknowledge how they are affecting your beliefs and in turn your life, then make a conscious effort to destroy them.
 
Here is one way to do it. ….
Over time, your mind monsters will start to fade away. The more often you do this and be consistent over a long period of time the more you will notice that those old Mind Monsters The say to yourself..."Delete, delete, delete" and immediately replace those thought with the exact opposite ones. It's very important that when you do this intentionally that you not only replace the negative thought with the exact opposite but that you create at least on or two others that support the positive thought you just created.
Over time, your mind monsters will start to fade away. The more often you do this and are consistent over a long period of time the more you will notice that those old Mind Monsters simply stop showing up. As if they are captured is some jar you forgot about in the cupboard. ​

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