© 2020 Helen C Read
I’ll bet it happens to all of us in one way or another ….
the games our creative minds play.
I’m talking about those messages that come (unbidden) into the mind and find their way into the heart. You know, they are spoken in a tone of
“you can’t do this”,
” who do you think you are?”,
“what you are doing has no real value”,
“you should spend your time doing something more valuable”,
“you are no expert!” ,
“Don’t try it, you will fail.”
Very likely these are spoken without an audible voice, but with that inner negative voice that can speak so subtly, yet is heard so easily.
When you stop to think about it, those messages are truly damaging. They introduce doubt and fear. They cause us to slow or even stop mid-stride in the productive direction we were going. They destroy belief. In short, these arrows into the heart are at best, limiting. And at their worst, they are deadly.
In the graveyard of potentially great ideas, beautiful works of art, helpful new enterprises, new musical accomplishments, unimagined inventions… is the sad epitaph; died very young from doubt and disbelief.
Of course, this isn’t a public graveyard, because these possibilities didn’t survive much beyond the early idea.
It’s a fight we must fight
I find myself fighting this very thing from time to time, and I’ve talked to many others who find themselves in this same struggle. I know I’m not alone.
We need a new internal dialog. I don’t think it goes far enough to just say, “I’m not going to pay attention to that any more. I won’t listen.”
Instead, we have to replace those negative, hurtful thoughts with better ones – true ones – we must train our minds to form a new habit of thinking.
This is also called Renewing the Mind, and you may be familiar with it from scripture. It’s not just “positive thinking” (though that’s definitely a better thing that negative thinking!) A better term is replacement thinking – replacing the lies we believe with truth.
There is truth is saying, “I am learning” rather than I can’t do this.
There is truth in saying “The creating is valuable; my voice is valuable” rather than there’s no value in what I’m doing.
There is truth in saying “The more I work, the more expertise I develop”
instead of thinking I’m no expert.
There is truth in saying “I fail if I don’t try!” instead of I might fail if I try.
For many of us who value the truths found in biblical scripture, they hold an overwhelmingly positive message of truth. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.” “Our God gives you everything you need – makes you everything you are to be.”
A good dose of truth is the right remedy for those doubts and discouragements that so often slow our pace.
Start today! Learn replacement thoughts to counter the pesky negative messages that threaten to derail your creative work.
Then, make a practice of using them!
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© 2020 Helen C Read
Photo credit – Jeshoots
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