The human brain is like any other muscle in the body. Use it and it will grow stronger. Here’s a trick I learned long ago to get the brain flexing and helping to improve the quality of life. Practicing this will work pure magic for anyone. Stick with it for a few weeks and marvel at the results.
The human brain is a computer extraordinaire; no matter what question you ask yourself, it will give you an answer. Perhaps not the one you wanted, but you will get an answer. Don’t like the answers you’re getting? Ask a different question. Keep it up until you get something you can work with.
Do you find yourself in a situation you don’t like? If you ask things like, ‘Why me, God?’ you will probably get an answer like, ‘Why not you? You are easy and fun to torment.’ Instead, ask something like this: “How can I get out of this situation?” Better yet is: “How can I get out of this situation with a whole skin?”
Ok, now we’re on track. A still better question might be: “How can I get out of this situation with a whole skin, and enjoy the process?” Better yet is: “How can I turn this situation from a losing proposition to a winning one, and enjoy the process?” Even better is: “How can I make this a winning situation for everybody concerned, and still enjoy the process?”
Get the idea? Remember, your brain will find an answer. Just keep repeating the question, or changing it, until the right answer comes. Sometimes it may take a while, but it gets easier with practice. I personally begin each day in the same way. I gaze at my sleeping partner and ask myself how I got so lucky. I then ask myself, “What can I do today to make her life a better experience for her, and have fun in the process? I always get an answer.”
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Such a positive way to handle every situation. Being willing to ask questions and being open to answers is powerful!
ReplyDeleteHi Ginger, yep, we usually get what we ask for so I always try to ask for something positive.
DeleteLove this Prudence!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Coleen, thanks for stopping by.
DeletePractical, inspiring advice, Prudence. I dig it!
ReplyDeleteHi August, glad you like it. :)
DeleteGot stuff, Pru ... I've been getting a busy signal lately, but I'll keep trying until I get an answer.
ReplyDeletePersevere my friend, persevere. :)
DeleteGood points. Too easy for people to become victims and complain, rather than pause and think that maybe this is something they can change, to use their brain.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, complaining never solved anything. Thanks for dropping in.
DeleteI am trying Sis! You would think that a writer's brain could come up with better questions a little better. This is a difficult skill to develop for me, I have always been thrust into the position of "act now think later" and tend to act on instinct. My first instinct is to panic, so I freak out until either a friend talks to me and gets the analytical me going, or the analytical me has had enough of poor pitiful panicked me and takes over. Then the self conversation goes something like this:
ReplyDelete"Can you fix it as it stands?"
"If I could do you think I would be wasting time in a panic?"
"Is worrying or panicking gonna fix it?"
"Of course not, are you an idiot?"
"So it's completely out of your hands at this point."
"Look who just caught on!"
"So you are wasting your energy stressing over something that no amount of effort is going to fix." (This is because panicked mind does not look for alternatives, panicked mind sees things as unchangable and just freaks out)
"Well...uh... uh..."
"Go read a book, calm down and look at it from another angle in a little bit"
"Ummm, okay"
Then panicked mind pulls out my Nook, loads a book, usually one of Pru's in the last few months, because they make me laugh and remind me to think positive loving thoughts. While Panicked mind is regaining it's cool, ananlytical mind sits quietly in the background reveiwing the situation and finding a solution. It may not be the best solution, or even the right solution, but as long as there is some kind of solution, panicked mind doesn't freak out and analytical mind has the chance to keep rewording the question. I am not usually much involved in the rewording process at this point. I know that analytical mind does this, but I am rather sympathetic with panicked mind, and frankly, I wanna be involved in Pru's book. Analytical mind does well on it's own, but I am thinking I should pay more attention to it's processes. (we just have to keep panicked mind deeply involved in the book!)
Charis, the self-talk bit is great. Now adjust the self talk to a more positive slant and watch the magic happen. :))
DeleteSo working at it! The whole positive slant is still relatively new to the naturally pessimistic person that inhabits this body. I am getting the hang of it when I am in control, but lack of sleep or overstressed seems to short curcuit the process. Still rewiring but sometimes I feel like Steve Guttenberg in that camping scene from Short Circuit. You know, where he has number Five's curcuit board opened up and he's trying to figure out what the heck happened? Yup, that's me some days.
DeleteI know it is hard, Sis, but the rewards are worth it. You will master it, I know you will. I believe in you and your power to change. :)
DeleteI have not stopped trying, therefore I have not failed. I will not stop trying therefore I will not fail. I may be a baby scooting around on her butt, but I will develop the muscles to walk, and one day I will run. I know this, and am working on training my mental muscles so that when I am over tired, over worked and over stressed, I can rely on muscle memory and maintain the positive outlook. This is why I send smiles to my friend before I go to bed. I wake up smiling, knowing I made her smile and wondering what her response will be. I like waking up to that!
DeleteInteresting, practical approach to staying positive! The questions force you to look at the situation differently, which can really never be a bad thing. There are so many angles to everything, so many different ways to see the light and the beauty in everything, from the mundane every day to the surprises that may not be so happy. Thanks for this, Pru!
ReplyDeleteAll my pleasure April, thanks for stopping by. :)
DeleteInspiring. I enjoyed the important tweaking of the questions we ask. I take away some of you positivity. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Cora, I'm glad you found something you could use. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWhat a wonderful approach to life's problems! I ask myself questions like this when I'm thinking about my fiction, but it's a great way to get a positive lock on reality too. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Jannette, thanks for dropping by.
DeleteYou may not like the answer... That is what I'd tell my children, and that is what God often tells me. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThis morning, I received a very kind rejection from an agent I'd queried. While I did not go thru the question/answer process per se, with time I've learned to adapt my response to rejections - yes, I've had that much practice - and replied with an acknowledgment of her time, and then a simple question for clarification as I move forward: Is your decision based simply on fit with your agency, or is there something specific in my writing or in the plot that I might improve before I move forward.
I didn't see the connection, even 5 minutes ago when I sent that response, but now, Prudence, thanks to your post, I do see it very clearly. I've learned how to react in this situation, and need to apply the skill elsewhere.
Hi Sherry, thanks for dropping by. I glad you could find something worth taking away. May it help you to a more powerful and successful future.
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