Clean Your Mind’s Sock Drawer

I admit it. I’m a passionate learner. My bookshelf and Kindle hold countless volumes of how to’s, self help, spirituality guides and memoirs. I love taking classes and trainings and I devour information like a teen eats fries. If learning were a disease, I’d be on the critical list.

Unfortunately, after 50-some years of learning, I’ve discovered that my brain is out of room.  Since I’m determined to keep learning, this calls for a plan.

You may remember my post in March about How I Dropped 300 Pounds in 2 Months, describing how there was no room in my head for creating success because it was filled with the emotional and physical clutter of my disorganized house.

Upon further self-rummaging, I discovered I’ve been collecting certain limiting beliefs for years. Don’t get me wrong; at the time, teaming up with these limiting beliefs served me well. Believing what I was told from the “authorities that be” (including my parents, lovers, teachers, friends, church, the news media. Weight Watchers, Max Factor and People Magazine), at least gave me something to believe when I was unclear. So I held tightly to what I had been taught.

Here are a few of the space suckers I dug-up that have held residency in my brain for far too long:

I am worthless

I am unattractive

I am too fat

I’m not good enough

I’m not smart enough

I am selfish

I don’t know what to do

I should never talk about money

Life is hard

Always put others first

Rich people are snobs

Poor people are unworthy

Religious people are all honest and caring

God loves everyone, but Christ is the only way to heaven

People with messy houses are low life’s

I should control my children

Always respect authority

Parents know what’s best for me

Some things are unforgiveable

I should never ask for anything, especially help

Love hurts

Wow. That’s one heaping pile of crappy beliefs. Much like the drawer-full of knee socks and long johns that I’ve held onto since before moving to Arizona 19 years ago, these beliefs have not served me in a very long time.

So, here’s the plan:

Since a belief is a merely a thought that you practice over and over, I’m going to “unlearn” the rest of the useless beliefs that are left in my head – thereby making more space available for the good stuff.

Brilliant!

In order to unlearn them, I going to practice new, beautiful, more truthful thoughts to take their place. Practice. Over and over. For years.

It worked for the bad thoughts. I’m betting it will work for the good ones too.

What about you? Have you taken a look at your brain’s sock-drawer lately? Is there anything in there that is no longer serving you? Perhaps beliefs that are holding you back from learning new and wonderful things about yourself? More importantly, holding you back from enjoying your life to the fullest?

I invite you to join me in a place of higher “unlearning”. Make some room in your brain. Clean out your mind’s sock drawer. And start practicing new, beautiful thoughts to take their place.

Practice.

Over and over.

It worked for the bad thoughts. I’m betting it will work for the good ones too.