Changing the Way I Think
Meet my awesome Life Coach...
Last September Emmy sent me my first podcast from Jody called "How to Deal with that Difficult Family Member". At the time I wasn't dealing with any difficult family members but there was a part of the podcast she thought I'd be interested in. Turns out she was right. I loved it so much I checked out some of Jody's other podcasts like...
I'm a pretty happy person for the most part, and over the years I've figured out that it's my job to make me happy, not my husband's, not my kid's, or even my external circumstances, but I had no idea what kind of power I could access for greater happiness and peace, just by changing the way I think.
Jody teaches how our thoughts determine how we feel. I've always respected the agency I have to choose my actions but I didn't realize how powerful using my agency to choose my thoughts could be. She teaches how no one can hurt your feelings but you (that's a hard one for some people to grasp, especially my little girls, but we are working on it). She teaches how we can take ownership of our thoughts and the power we have over our feelings--instead of just letting life happen to us and giving others the power to determine how we feel.
I used to wake up at night and if I let my brain turn on, I couldn't go back to sleep. My thoughts would travel down all kinds of rabbit holes, playing out all sorts of worrisome scenarios that usually never happened. With Jody's coaching I think about everything differently. I choose thoughts that serve me, bring me peace, and make me happy. I don't get annoyed as easily because I realize I need to stay out of other people's business. I trust that things are exactly the way they are supposed to be so I don't waste time with thoughts like I should I have done this... or if only I'd done that differently. I'm more present with my kids and the people I love because I'm not caught up in thoughts that distract me. I'm just so grateful for all of Jody's help.
I will say though, it's a constant effort. My brain has had it's way with me for 45 years so training it to go in a different direction isn't easy but the results are SO worth it. My mind still goes down rabbit holes now and again but thanks to Jody I know how to climb back out much more quickly.
Another thing Jody teaches is how to feel your feelings and not avoid them. That's something I am pretty good at and being able to do it saved me six years ago when we lost our son. There's a book called "Feelings Buried Alive Never Die". So true.
I listen to two or three of Jody's podcasts a week.
When something frustrating or hard comes up, I just go to her list of topics and she usually has something to help. For instance, recently I needed to have a difficult conversation with someone and I had no idea where to start. Jody happens to have a "How to have a Difficult Conversation" podcast and it was EXACTLY what I needed! So helpful! A few months ago I had to make a decision that had been bugging me for months. Jody's got one on Decision Making, again, so helpful!
If you've got teenage girls I recommend her
Bonus Episode: Girls Camp Message
It's one of my favorites.
When something frustrating or hard comes up, I just go to her list of topics and she usually has something to help. For instance, recently I needed to have a difficult conversation with someone and I had no idea where to start. Jody happens to have a "How to have a Difficult Conversation" podcast and it was EXACTLY what I needed! So helpful! A few months ago I had to make a decision that had been bugging me for months. Jody's got one on Decision Making, again, so helpful!
If you've got teenage girls I recommend her
Bonus Episode: Girls Camp Message
It's one of my favorites.
With as much as I work with the youth I keep thinking about how empowering this stuff would be for their brains and how can I help them understand all this? In the mean time I printed off Jody's 6 lessons for children and teenagers and I'm teaching my own kids.
You can get them HERE.
