#negativemantra
Over the past year I realized that there are a slew of negative mantras I use to put myself down when things aren’t going my way. I think we all do this to some extent, and its implications are dangerous. What you would think are harmless phrases can have a very real psychological impact. Take for instance phrases like: easier said than done, ignorance is bliss, it’s out of my hands, I don’t make a difference, nothing good ever happens to me and why do I even bother?
Each of the above seem quite harmless, but when you look into their implications you will realize that they can actually weigh you down. When you say “easier said than done” you’re automatically disregarding whatever outcome the action that it refers to will have. You’re making it seem harder than it really is without any real evaluation, you just say those words and it becomes so. In reality, you are making it more difficult for yourself. It’s a self-defeatist attitude, to put it simply.
How about instead we employ positive mantras like summa iru (just be), insha Allah (God willing), “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it (The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho). Now try to list out your own positive mantras or think of what you would say to yourself to uplift your spirits!
Here are a few suggested by the wonderful resource of good vibes that is TinyBuddha.com:
Keep your head up and your heart open. Go slowly. Be easy. Let <insert name> be <insert name>
Let us now consciously discard negative mantras such as:
I’m too old
I’m a klutz
I don’t have the money to do what I want
My job sucks
I’m no good at…
I have no choice
Make your own list of negative mantras so that you will realize exactly when you use them how they affect your decisions and your perception of situations that are in reality much easier to face than you make them seem. Trust me, this exercise has immense potential in alleviating stress and allowing a positive attitude to flow through your consciousness. Try it!
Good post. I see you’ve come up with *my* list !
This is such a coincidence… I’ve been weighed down for the past 2 weeks with a terrible “aney mata be!” mentality. Had a chat with my mum and she said more or less the same thing. Your post was a great reinforcement. Yes I can!
So very very true. People underestimate the negative impacts that those simple phrases have, which are in fact disastrous if reinforced through constant repetition. Great post.
PS: I’m curious, why is the title a hash tag?
This post began as an attempt to start a trending topic that failed miserably.
I’m not sure if this is even relevant but I actually disagree when you say that by saying ‘easier said than done’, is making it more difficult for yourself.
I think it’s quite the contrary. Some things really are much harder to do than they sound and if you say that its easy peasy, you’re actually making it harder by not working as hard to achieve your goal and by doing than realizing how much harder it really is closer to your deadline.
I don’t think its disregarding the final outcome, I think its preparing yourself for what is to come.
Anyway brilliant work, maybe you could come up with a list of all the positive things in your life instead of micro-analyzing the negative (=
I do blog about the positive. That’s what a lot of the other posts are about, for example the one on the capacity of human beings to love. Thanks for the comment! (: