By Curt Fowler

“Where the mind goes, the man (or woman) follows.” – Joyce Meyers

The best way not to hit a tree while snow skiing is to not look at the tree.

Our brains take us to what we focus on. Focus on the negative and you’ll get more negative. That is why “taking every thought captive” is so important to living a great life.

Last week we introduced the Four Column Approach to positive thinking. This process will help you turn around negative thoughts so you can focus on the positive. It helps to write this process down as you build the habit. You’ll run through the process in your head once you get used to it.

To start, take a standard sheet of paper and turn it sideways. Draw four columns and label them Negative Thought, Label, Rebuttal and Replacement. Last week we talked through the process of thinking about what you are thinking and labeling. This week we’ll finish the process.

Our example was one most of us have dealt with in our life – money worries. We labeled the thought “money worries” and wrote down some specifics like weddings, college education, and retirement. We then labeled the thought as “fortune telling” because these thoughts are our brains dramatizing a negative event that will probably never happen.

The next step is to question the thought or to create a rebuttal. Let’s take the thought of not having or never having enough money. A fear of lack. What are some questions we can ask ourselves to re-boot our thinking? Try these:

• Do I have everything I need (food, water, shelter) right now?
• Is this thought a fact or my opinion?
• Could I be wrong?
• Are there positive scenarios that I am not considering?
• What assumptions am I making?
• What evidence is there to dispute my thinking?
• What would someone I trust think of my conclusion?
• What is the worst that could happen?
• How would I cope with the worst-case scenario?

And my favorite question…

• Is this thought useful? In other words, does this thought take me closer to my desired outcomes or further away?

Our thoughts are like birds. We cannot control what birds fly over our heads, but we can stop them from making a nest in our hair. We are the CEOs of our brains. We get to decide what thoughts we focus on.

We are always thinking about something. Now that we have beaten up our negative thoughts, we can replace them with something more constructive.

You can replace your negative thought with a more positive outcome and action. For instance, you can say to yourself (or out loud if you are really feeling it), “I will not be in lack because I will deliver outstanding service to my employer/customers”, then get to work. It is hard to keep worrying when you are busy doing.

You can also replace the negative thought with gratitude. Our fears are usually based on some sort of lack. Lack of money, opportunity or something else we desire. Instead of wanting more turn your attention to being thankful for what you have. If you live in America, your problems are nothing compared to what people are dealing with in less prosperous countries.

This is where I turn to my faith. I get busy praising God for all that he has given. Fear and gratitude cannot exist at the same time. I also have favorite verses that help me focus on what God says about my situation.

What I love about this process is it is biblical. In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul gives us these instructions –

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.”

Paul follows up that advice with this in verses 8-9:

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

Whether you are a Bible reader or not, this stuff works. Here are the four steps again. Do this practice on paper to start and you’ll soon go through it automatically in your head.

• Capture – What are you thinking that is causing the negative feelings?
• Label – Is this thought Fortune Telling, Mind Reading, Focusing on the Negative, Labeling or Blaming?
• Rebuttal – Put your negative thoughts on trial. Find holes in the argument.
• Replace – Replace the negative thought by pointing your mind to things that are pure, beautiful and praiseworthy.

Our lives are more enjoyable and we perform better when we think good thoughts. We all have negative thoughts, but we can replace them with good thoughts once we develop the habit.

If you’d like some great resources to help you on your journey you can find them on our resources page at www.valuesdrivenresults.com or call me at 229.244.1559.

Curt Fowler is President of Fowler & Company and Director at Fowler, Holley, Rambo & Stalvey. He is dedicated to helping leaders create and achieve a compelling vision for their organizations.

Curt is a syndicated business writer, keynote speaker and business advisor. He has an MBA in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA, and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.