You decide what you want to think.
We all have thoughts. Apparently 60,000 of them everyday. And 90% are repetitive.
The key is – we don’t have to believe all our thoughts. Just because we thought them once (or even twice), doesn’t make them true.
It’s not until we grab onto them, and think them over and over again, that we begin to live in such a way that proves to us that those thoughts we’re thinking are true.
When you have a teenager in the house, you think a lot of thoughts. Some of the thoughts are about:
- Them.
- How you parent them.
- What you think other people think about them.
- What you think, about what you think other people think about them.
- What other people think about the way you parent them.
- What you think, about what you think other people think about the way you parent them.
- The things you think are ‘true.’
Us humans, we’re thinking, thinking, thinking all day long. And sadly, that’s not necessarily a productive strategy.
The thoughts we use are only relevant because we decide they are. We can equally decide those very same thoughts are not relevant.
How we parent our teens will be largely driven by a combination of the things we think about
- Parenting
- Our particular teenager
We get to decide on these thoughts. It’s our choice. We can choose thoughts that empower us; allowing us to be the parent we think about being.
Choose the thoughts that support you. The thoughts that say:
- “I’ve got this.”
- “I haven’t got this and I need help.”
- “I love my adolescent.”
- “I am being the best parent I can be, with the resources I have, right now.”
- “Parenting is more important to me than alcohol/vaping/smoking.”
- “What are my options?”
- “The best way to move forward is …”
The point is, there’s no right or wrong or a magic formula. The way you think about things is the unique combination of the thoughts you have chosen over the years.
Check in with yourself: Are the thoughts you are thinking useful?
It is ok to get rid of the thoughts that aren’t serving you, or that used to serve you and no longer do. The choice is yours.
And if you’d love to speed up the process, book a coaching call. We’ll dive deep into the thoughts that are keeping you in a place you’d rather not be.