Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/23.
Recently, a client was telling me about her day:
“It’s like I’m caught in a game of Tetris, moving every block into place constantly. It keeps speeding up, forcing me to keep on it all the time to prevent a pile-up.”
I asked how that’s working for her. She said:
“Sometimes it’s great. I’m not afraid of hard work. I thrive on it. But it could topple over anytime, and it’s not scalable. I can’t turn my brain off. I’ve got to hurry up and prove that I can handle this.”
If this constant pressure to anticipate and solve problems is ringing a bell, you’re not alone. I hear it often from my clients.
But there’s something you can do right now to reframe your thinking and give yourself an edge.
In this episode, I’ll teach you a practical step-by-step process to trade out limiting thoughts for empowering, productive ones.
Recently, a client was telling me about her day:
“It’s like I’m caught in a game of Tetris, moving every block into place constantly. It keeps speeding up, forcing me to keep on it all the time to prevent a pile-up.”
I asked how that’s working for her. She said:
“Sometimes it’s great. I’m not afraid of hard work. I thrive on it. But it could topple over anytime, and it’s not scalable. I can’t turn my brain off. I’ve got to hurry up and prove that I can handle this.”
If this constant pressure to anticipate and solve problems is ringing a bell, you’re not alone. I hear it often from my clients.
But there’s something you can do right now to reframe your thinking and give yourself an edge.
In this episode, I’ll teach you a practical step-by-step process to trade out limiting thoughts for empowering, productive ones.
Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/23.
The Difference Between Passive and Purposeful Thinking
Hey Ops Execs,
How often do you pay attention to how you’re thinking? Not just what you think, but how those thoughts are showing up?
If you’re like most of us, well, it’s not often. When you’re not aware of how you’re thinking, that’s called passive thinking. That’s when you aren’t actively choosing what to think. It’s when your mind drifts from one idea to another without evaluating the process. It causes mental clutter that mucks up your day.
On the other hand, purposeful thinking involves monitoring your thoughts. You intentionally choose those that benefit you most.
For example, replacing the thought "I am overwhelmed" with a thought like “I can handle this,” or "I have plenty of time," can help you create better outcomes.
Purposeful thinking boosts your creativity, strategic planning, control, and confidence.
Overcoming Challenges in Purposeful Thinking
Sure, it sounds great. But purposeful thinking is, as I’m sure you can imagine, harder than passive thinking. There are so many other low-hanging thoughts that easily grab our attention.
The National Science Foundation says the average person has about 6,200 thoughts per day. That’s about 4 per minute. Research also says that 70-80% of those 4 thoughts a minute are negative. It's called ‘negativity bias.' It’s easier to zoom in on bad things than good things.
With so many thoughts whizzing around, it’s no wonder it’s hard to focus in on and hold on to the ones that serve you. Just like anything worthwhile, it requires practice.
One pitfall to trying purposeful thinking is the tendency to want to shortcut it and get results now.
Consider affirmations. People seem to either love them or hate them.
For some, affirmations are a way of life. Someone told me recently she says affirmations to herself while she lifts weights and runs. She’s embedded it as part of the workout. She’s practiced this and made it work for her.
But if you haven’t practiced working with affirmations, they can feel weird, wrong, or too fake. It’s like looking at the ocean and trying to convince yourself you’re seeing elephants swimming out there.
Starting Small: The Key to Successfully Reframing Your Thoughts
When you try to change your beliefs or thoughts too quickly, it creates something called cognitive dissonance. This happens when you try to take too big a leap, from “I’m so overwhelmed,” to “I am so relaxed.” Your brain just isn’t going to go for such a steep climb.
A physical analogy of this is trying to run a 5k when you haven’t run before. Enter, though, a ‘Couch to 5k’ program. It takes you through about 9 weeks of working up from no running to running a 5k. It’s tough, but do-able, when you build up your physical stamina and endurance gradually.
The same concept can apply to creating new thought habits with purposeful thinking. You need gradual stages that allow you to build your mental resilience and ability to reframe your thoughts step by step. Otherwise, your mind will always just slide back to what it most easily believes.
A technique that works for this really well comes from cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a tool called a thought ladder. I think of it as a way of training your thought process, just like you train to run in a ‘Couch to 5k’ program.
In both cases, the key is to start small and gradually increase the difficulty level as you get stronger. Consistency and persistence are key to getting results. With a thought ladder, you choose the thoughts that are going to serve you, rather than deferring to your default passive thoughts.
Enhancing Your Thought Process
So how does it work? Here’s a quick and dirty breakdown in 5 steps.
Step 1: Grab a piece of paper. Create a frame for a thought ladder by listing numbered bullets in reverse order from 10 to 1 down the left side of it.
Step 2: Identify a recurring negative thought that drags you down, such as "I am overwhelmed." Choose whatever’s right for you. Write it down next to the number 1 at the bottom of the page.
Step 3: Put on your analytical hat and challenge the validity of this thought. Poke holes at its accuracy and the evidence that supports it.
Step 4: Then, progress up the ladder, adding an incrementally more helpful thought on the next rung up. For instance, maybe next to the number 2 you write something like, "It's normal to feel overwhelmed at times.”
Step 5: Continue this process, gradually improving each thought by about 10% up the ladder. Choose the language and tone that resonates with you. Do this until you reach your ideal thought on the top rung. That is something you think you’ll feel when you’ve got it all handled, an ideal thought that might be something like
- "I am resourceful.”
- “I am capable of handling whatever comes my way.” Or,
- “I am allowed to take a break and prioritize self-care.”
By doing this process, you’ll develop a collection of thoughts that empower you. It allows you to reshape your thoughts, so you think more constructively.
Practicing Purposeful Thinking with the Thought Ladder Technique
To get the hang of this, it’s helpful to practice this thought transformation exercise regularly.
So, I’ll leave you with this homework today: Choose one thought that’s been running through your mind to work on this week and create a thought ladder. Practice using it. That means: Notice when you have a bottom-rung thought and focus on practicing a better one.
And be careful not to rush up and practice your top-rung thought too quickly. Too much positivity backfires. You need to hang out on the rung that’s a stretch, but reachable. Otherwise, you run the risk of sounding like George Costanza yelling “Serenity now!”. Don’t do that to yourself.
It’s normal to get stuck in unhelpful thoughts. But you can think thoughts that serve you better.
Want more fresh ideas to level up your leadership in Operations? Get my free PDF, called “4 Steps to Gain Control of Your Mind, Time, and Career So You Can Love Your Work Again and Advance.” Download it at yourfuturerealized.com/guide.
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.