Is Your Mind a Landfill?

Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it – torn up to irrecoverable tatters. – Samuel Butler
It’s amazing how much junk we tend to absorb into our minds and allow it stay there, festering and tainting everything we do. Most of have minds that are cluttered with unproductive thoughts like negative comments by friends or family members, derogatory messages we’ve fed to ourselves, and restrictive messages received by society. All of this trash will continue to degrade our performance unless we clear it out occasionally.
Take a few moments to think about the types of thoughts and beliefs you hold about yourself and your life. Are you still operating under your father’s assertion that you’ll never amount to anything? Are you still hearing the voice of your third grade teacher who said you wouldn’t go far in life because of your inability to pay attention in class? Make a list of all the beliefs and limitations that others have placed upon you. Also be sure to include the limitations that you have placed upon yourself. You know the ones that claim you can’t do such-and-such because you’re just not good at it, or the things you’ve tried but didn’t have much success with the first time around, so now you believe you’ll never be successful at it. When you’ve written down everything you can think of – read the list over once more, and then BURN it.
Everything on that list was simply a perception, whether yours or someone else’s. Perceptions are flexible and subject to change. You now have a clean slate upon which to write your own empowering perceptions. You can start by writing the opposite of the beliefs and messages you just burned, or you can come up with entirely new ones. What truths do you want to apply to your life? That you’re wealthy? That you’re successful and confident? That you are eager to try new things? Whatever you want to do in life, add it to the list and then get moving on it! Periodically, repeat this clearing-out exercise to be sure you’re not reabsorbing restrictive messages again. Keep your mind free of unproductive trash and debris, and you’ll have plenty of room to store the thoughts you actually WANT to keep in there.