Whether you are about to embark on a new year, a new
employment opportunity, a new relationship or a new day, there
is a possibility that you can take a new way of thinking or
some new thoughts into it. It is said that our brains can
process 400 billion bits of information per day and we
consciously process about 2000 bits. If we have so much
information and so many ideas in our brains why would we
choose to think the same thoughts over and over?
If you always think what you always thought, you'll
probably get what you always got. And there is nothing wrong
with that if that is what you choose, but many people think
that is the way it is supposed to be and that they have no
choice. As you read this article please consider your power to
choose. You may choose to think the same way or a different
way, safer or riskier, smaller or bigger.
An example for me in having to change my thinking came
after I became the coach for CMAA. I had to have some ways to
increase the number of people I could support in the
association. One of the ways was to introduce a game that
would allow me to work with 10 to 20 people at a time instead
of just working with one client at a time. The game is called
The Happy Healthy Wealthy Game. The decision to take it on
came with all the usual fears and doubts but on the other side
of fear and doubt it is often fun, joy and fulfillment!
One of the great lessons of this game is that the
attainment of our goals is influenced by the environments we
put ourselves in. In the game we talk about seven different
types of environments but the one I want to focus on with you
is your memetic environment. Memetic environments are where
your ideas and concepts come from. They help to shape your way
of thinking. Television is one. If you watch it long enough
you will be very aware of things that you should be afraid of
and products that will help to alleviate your fears. You will
be told you should want these things because they are going to
make your life better. You may not even need Viagra but wonder
about the day when you can use it and be as happy or sing as
well as those guys. You will also get a lot of bad news! I am
not saying that TV isn't good or isn't beneficial, but it can
be a bit of a sneaky memetic environment.
My challenge to you this month is to consider some of these
memetic environments and choose ones for you that support your
goals.
Books, movies, magazines, school, places of worship,
meditation, working with a coach, tapes, listening to a
speaker, taking a class, a mastermind group, a book club,
discussion groups, listening to music, studying about or
meeting someone you admire, newsletters, answering questions,
friends, the contents of your own brain...
