Have you ever felt “weak”? Have you ever felt you were in a situation in which winning didn’t appear to be an option? Are you there now? The truth is we’ve all experienced what I call ‘losing seasons’, times in which everything that could go wrong – did go wrong! From relationships, to money, to career, we’ve all been weak. The good news is even when we are weak, we have the power to transform our thinking by a simple declaration.
The writer of the book Joel says, “Let the weak say I am strong.” Seven powerful words that can transform your reality. Even when I’m losing I’m winning!
But what if we could attach even more empowering and practical action steps behind those words? How much of a difference would it make to not only say ‘I am strong’ but also to act as if I am strong – in the words I use, the steps I take and the thoughts I freely choose to think?
We can believe ourselves to be anything we want. If you are feeling lost, confused, forsaken by any circumstance in your life, use these four steps to reverse your thinking and call into your life a feeling of strength and renewal.
Take Control of Your Thoughts
When you awaken to a new day, take immediate control of your thoughts – regardless of your situation. The human brain is wired to hold on to previous actions and results; it automatically shoves the positive to the back and moves everything negative – thoughts, experiences, words – to the front.
Think optimistic. What good does thinking negative thoughts do? I hear people say, “I think realistically.” If thinking realistically means pondering the unfortunate, ruminating on disaster and reflecting on why you won’t be successful, then it’s time to change that dynamic!
Forget Yesterday
This is connected to taking control of your thoughts. We must learn to put the past behind us. Otherwise we become trapped in its history. James Baldwin was spot on when he opined, We are trapped in history and history is trapped in us. Yesterday’s mistakes are today’s building blocks. Develop a negative into a positive. Transform a blunder into a blessing. But do not allow yourself to remain trapped in yesterday. The best is yet to come!
Talk to Yourself Daily
Once upon a time it was considered “crazy” to talk to oneself. These days, though, if you aren’t talking to yourself – encouraging yourself, affirming your value, lifting your self-talk – you are CRAZY! The fact is our culture is so spatially and visually connected, so bent on driving home the latest advertisement that we cannot help but be affected by all of the negative chatter. You must counter that chatter with positive self-talk. Say to yourself daily, “I am strong”. “I am powerful”. “I am beautiful”.
Read Positive
Not only talk positive, but read positive, too. Reading positive could be as simple as reading and or reciting a Bible verse or memorizing a positive quote and audibly actualizing it all day long. The brain operates on repetition; it becomes what it is most exposed to the most. Earl Nightingale put it best, We become what we think. Not only we what think, but what we read, what we watch, what we listen to and what we expose ourselves to the most.
Even when I’m losing I’m winning!
Inspired Living with Pastor W. Eric Croomes 