You see someone that others have told you is a jerk so you share a negative comment about the person with your friends.
Someone cuts you off on the highway – you think the person is inconsiderate so you speed ahead and cut the person off.
Someone makes fun of something about you. You make up something hurtful about them and spread it on Facebook.
You look in the mirror and are disappointed with the way you look.
You look at someone who is successful and wonder why you aren’t as successful.
Thoughts go zooming through our heads. Millions of them. They come from our past. They come from what we were taught in school, from our parents and family. They come from what we hear on the news, read on the web and what our friends say. Not every thought is valuable. Not every thought serves us.
Sometimes our thoughts tell us to get even with someone. Or, sometimes our thoughts tell us to argue with others or find fault with them because they don’t agree with us or are different from us. Sometimes our thoughts tell us to blame others for something that happened to us, our family or someone we care about. Sometimes our thoughts tell us we aren’t popular, attractive, smart, creative or loveable enough.
Thoughts. Just thoughts. As they zoom through our head, we have the ability of choosing only those that serve us – those that can make us and our world better.
What if we were to see our world from a greatness perspective?
I love the word Namaste; it means “may the divine in me acknowledge the divine in you.” In other words, may what is best in me see and acknowledge what is best in you. What if we each had this perspective as the thoughts went racing through our heads? We could in fact choose not to allow the thoughts that put down, critique, find fault with or intimidate others. We could choose not to allow the thoughts that bully, insult or get even with others. We could choose to see what is great about us, not what is wrong with us. We could see the potential for greatness in others and in ourselves. Imagine how this would not only change our thoughts, but our lives.
So, the next time your immediate reaction is to say something critical about someone or yourself, consider choosing a different thought. Choose one that sees potential, possibility and greatness instead of fault. Be the master of your own thinking, regardless what influences the world provides. Seeing faults is a choice – but so to is seeing greatness.
How much better could our world be if we chose differently? Whose life would improve is you were to choose a different thought?
Written by Jay Forte
Jay Forte, the president and founder of The Greatness Zone LLC, is an author, motivational speaker and certified life and workplace coach. He and his organization help others discover and connect their unique abilities to opportunities in today’s world to live and work with purpose, passion and power – to know themselves, find their fit and transform their world. More information, including his books, The Greatness Zone and Fire Up! Your Employees, is at www.TheGreatnessZone.com, www.Ready4Life.me and www.FireUpYourEmployees.com.
