A Positive Spin!
When my kids were little and things were going all wrong, I frequently found my thoughts spinning into what I called a victim loop. I would mentally list the bad things and lament over the fact that I had no control over them. I had no way out. There were no answers—at least none I could reach.
But then these beautiful wide eyes would look up at me, waiting for the spinning to stop so I could tell them the answers, because they believed I could solve anything. I was the keeper of their world.
It became a game. I would say exactly the opposite of what I had been thinking, telling them we were on our way out of the bad times. Things were looking better. I stretched the loop out into a long story line that was more ‘what-if’ than fact. Even before they hit elementary school they knew how to throw me a skeptical scowl, so I developed a more elaborate structure to spin things positive.
I started with small things they could already see, tiny successes in the midst of monumental failures, that one step UP we had during the downhill tumble. And then I built the story toward wildly impossible future events. This cause and effect relationship was astonishingly effective. “Because this small thing happened, now this huge thing will happen.” Not only did they believe me and feel secure, I began to notice that my stories equipped us with the power to reach for that big thing.
More and more often, the big things really happened. And because they didn’t know I was making it up and they didn’t have doubt holding them back, my kids were better at reaching for those big things than I was. So I began throwing away my own doubt. I believed in the impossible with as much conviction as they did.
Today, I honestly believe almost anything is possible. If it’s within the laws of nature—or breaking less than a dozen of them—I’m confident we can make it happen.
Don’t underestimate the power of your own thoughts. And if you’ve fallen into the habit of spinning in a victim loop, turn that spin into a beautiful dance.
Positive things are happening, and there are BIG things on the way.
