Last week we talked about “The 5 Why’s” and how you can use them to get at what is keeping you stuck or if something isn’t serving you.
This week I wanted to check in about when or why you might use them.
You see, we all have these big beautiful brains and we think about 60,000 thoughts each day – most of which are not planned or on purpose. What that means is there is a powerhouse of a story-teller in each of us and often times we’re believing those stories, just because they are there.
As your brain looks for meaning and fills in stories in the absence of facts you are creating new beliefs. Some of which are good and helpful, and others which are detrimental.
Here are a few examples:
- I’ll never amount to anything.
- I always come out on top.
- Money isn’t a problem.
- I always have everything I need.
- There’s never enough time.
All of those thoughts cause different feelings – the ones you BELIEVE are the strongest ones. Your brain is running those on a loop and that makes the belief even stronger.
The 5 Why’s help you see your brain on paper. They invite you to dig into what is there – because oftentimes, if we don’t look, we have no idea they’re there! It’s possible that you have a belief (a thought, or sentence in your mind) that is undermining your efforts and you aren’t even aware of it.
Coaching yourself, or working with a coach, is the process of identifying and then questioning all those thoughts. Some of them are great and you want to keep them. One I have that really works for me is “I always lose weight when I travel.” A harder one for me is “I’m the big girl.” I had to work really hard at not believing it – my brain had ALL the evidence that it was true!
It’s the process of getting curious about your own brain. Your brain produces results for you whether you’re using it consciously or not. I really like knowing what I’m making more of – and make sure I like the results!
Let me know if you discover anything good in there – I love hearing what people find when wandering around in their minds!
Have a great week!
Caryn
PS: I help clients change their brains so they can change their lives. It’s really fun in that uncomfortable “I’m becoming a different person!” kind of way. Book a consult here if you’re curious.
Photo by Natalia Figueredo