Just the other day, I had a ton of work to do and my mind went, “Ugh, work.” Immediately, my head slumped down, my shoulders slouched, and heavy emotions started to come over me.

Thank goodness I noticed that thought. Because I was paying attention, I witnessed the thought and emotions, observed my resistance to the workload, and I saw how the resistance was causing me stress, not the work. 

I was able to catch myself before getting too low by reminding myself how much I love my work, which I really do. Quickly, I became excited for the day’s challenges. I was my own motivational coach in that moment. (In this video, I lay out the blueprint for building a solid spiritual foundation that can withstand any challenges life throws your way.) 

Over the next few days I paid extra close attention to my thoughts surrounding work. I planted the seeds for positive thoughts by repeating mantras in my head about how much I love my work — thoughts that my higher self knows, but sometimes my ego forgets. I spent some time each day visualizing myself achieving my goals with joy and excitement. And it worked! 

It doesn’t matter if our thoughts are judging our workload, life, ourselves, or others. These steps can work for any thoughts that cause us anything other than pure joy.

Here’s What I Want You to Do This Week

1. In meditation, when your mind naturally wanders, before turning your attention back to your breath or mantra or body, make a little note in your mind of what you were just thinking about, what distracted you in the first place, and how the train of thought went from getting distracted to catching yourself.
   
   
2. Whatever thoughts come up, allow them to be, don’t judge them, simply take note. The thinking mind wants to judge and label everything as good or bad. (Check out my latest video for more on how to stay calm through life’s ups and downs.)
   
   
3. The more we watch the mind, the more we create a distance between the mind’s contents and who we truly are — consciousness itself. The greater that distance, the broader our perspective becomes, the more we can see the big picture, and the less space our chaotic thoughts take up in the field of our peaceful awareness.

In these modern times, nothing hijacks our mind and thoughts quite like social media. We’ve always had chaotic monkey minds swinging wildly from thought to thought. But social media has given our mental monkeys steroids. I talk about how to combat the effects of our screen-addicted world in my book, Digital Ego: A How-to Survival Guide for the Internet, now just $2.99 in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s an important read for everyone touched by technology, and a must-read for the young people in your life. I hope it helps you and your family as much as these tools have helped me and mine.

Much love,

Todd

PS – If you ever feel like you’re not good enough, check out my latest podcast.