Our Loopy Loops

Our Loopy Loops

 

How our behavior, self-talk and self-image cast our lives

 

 

 

Imagine you are packing for a trip. You take out a suitcase, any size or shape and pretty soon, no matter where you are going or for how long, the suitcase is full. The same thing is true of another suitcase we carry around all day; our beliefs. Whether they were founded in childhood, college or early adulthood; our beliefs start a loop each day in our minds that quickly fills up and leaves little room to escape.

 

For example let’s say you believe you are not an athlete or physically gifted in movement. You look in the mirror, see a slightly out of shape body and say to yourself; “I’ll never have a muscular physique or be able to play competitive sports; I never could; picked last for all choose-ups; etc.” “I tried exercising, it didn’t work” Your beliefs and self-talk just added some baggage; and you haven’t had breakfast yet!

 

Later that day you see an ad for an amateur recreational swim team. You hesitate in thinking that maybe if you joined you would get in shape and meet new people. But then the LOOP kicks in. Remember what you looked like in the mirror this morning? How you were never good in sports? How your parents even told you that you had ‘other’ talents more valuable? The thought of you joining the swim team just evaporated with the power of your behavior->self-talk->self-image loop.

 

The way to interrupt this never ending loop is to interrupt the process. This can be done at any point of the loop. Change one and the others will either change or raise up to squash the other down. Change two and it will be impossible for your life not to change.  If you catch yourself putting yourself down when you look in the mirror instead of your usual self-talk “I’m getting soft” tell yourself “ I look great!” and then DO something that will make you great like eating a good breakfast and doing some light exercise before work. Your self image, the last and hardiest part of the loop will soon follow.

 

In order to succeed in this you have to be able to honor the past, but also realize that you have little use for it now. Living in the present, looking at what we have and what we want and how to get it is all there is. I do not believe that if we “Don’t remember the past we are doomed to repeat it”. I DO believe that remembering the past plants seeds in our subconscious that forces us to repeat past mistakes. When I feel I am delving on the past, even what happened to me yesterday, I tell myself, “I have little use for the past.” and suddenly I feel a weight off my shoulders.

 

Have a peaceful week.

 

Nate