There has been a lot of information published on how to handle negative thoughts and this is a good thing.  Let’s face it, we all have been plagued with that “Woe is me, nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I’m not good enough, I’m going to eat some worms” syndrome.  Despite how much you try to believe otherwise, you keep hearing that little voice in your head that says you can’t achieve what you want.  I hate that voice.

In a previous post I talked about preconditioning and how it defines your belief patterns, your thoughts and the emotions behind them.  What I didn’t  elaborate on previously I am going to do now and you are not going to like it but here it is: 

Believing for the sake of believing doesn’t make it so; without the proper set of emotions and the true desire to change, you have nothing. 

Sorry for bursting your bubble.

There’s an old saying out there which states that if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.  This was the hardest realization for me to face. Changing my preconditioned thought patterns was hard.  I had to face things about myself that I didn’t want to face, I had to change habits and I had to push through fear.  I don’t like fear, it scares me.  The good news is that I came out the other end and the future is bright.  I now understand why many in the motivational industry simplify the power of belief and preconditioned thought.  If they went into detail, nobody would do it.

There are many motivational industry professionals who practice and teach the theory of Thought Stopping.  Simply put, when an individual recognizes a negative thought taking hold they get rid of it by replacing it with a positive thought.  The replacement thought is recommended to be in alignment with how you wish to be or how you wish to think.  So in other words, if you replace the negative thought with a good thought, the bad thought will go away, never to be heard from again.  Too good to be true?  Yep.

Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D., is the Clinical Professor of Psychology at Weill-Cornell Medical School and the Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy. On July 9, 2010, he wrote an interesting article in Psychology Today regarding the dangers of Thought Stopping and why it doesn’t work. I encourage you to review the link as it sheds some light on what I believe to be misgivings surrounding negative thought.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anxiety-files/201007/why-thought-stopping-doesn-t-work

I am not a Doctor; nor do I play one on T.V. but I can tell you from my experiences that the best way to handle a problem is to barrel right through it.  I found this method, what I like to call the 4R application, to be the most practical and enlightening ways to break the chains of preconditioned thought.

Recognize:  The first step to fixing a problem is to acknowledge that there is a problem…Sounds simple enough

Review:  Why does this challenge exist.  What situational causes and how does it manifest itself.  This is the ugly part.

Revise:  What could I have done differently in the past to have changed the outcome for the better.  Do the same principles apply now. How will I confront  these challenges when faced with them in the future

Resume:  Own your new belief knowing that preconditioning has been addressed and resolved with a battle strategy and a win-win outcome.

Rome was not built in a day; nothing long-term ever is.  So pick up your tool belt and let’s get busy!