Week 35’s task of 50 Weeks to a Lighter More Loving You is to BUSHWACK!

bushwack:

(v): traveling/hiking through dense growth by cutting throughbranches and bushes;(n): it is also a term used by hikers to describe a very strenuous, obstacle ridden trail with brush, branches and/or bushes etc.

I’m not going to send you hiking, though that would be an awesome activity to do this week!

We are going to do a bit of hiking in our minds.

I like to hike.  I like to follow trails.  I like trails because they are

• easier…already trampled and free of obstacles,

• less stress filled...no extra equipment needed to traverse a well-worn trail,

• well-marked…also making it easier, and

• safer…hopefully, as most trails have been planned/created and been proven worthy by many travelers.

Bushwacking, on the other hand,

• takes courage to go off the beaten trail in order to forge a new path,

• takes extra equipment like a knife or hatchet to cut down brush and branches,

• takes bravery to face uncertainties and the potential to get lost, and

• takes extra effort to keep one’s self safe and “whack” one’s way through brush and bushes.

If you are like me, the well-worn trail is more relaxing, peaceful, and, basically, pain-free.

What does this have to do with our minds?

Out thoughts cut “trails” in our mind.  These are often WELL WORN!   Not all our thought trails are fun or nice BUT they are easy, safe, and well-worn.   They are familiar to us and take no extra effort to travel down.

We think over 60,000 thoughts a day.  85% of them are negative in nature, and so many of them are well-worn trails.

If you could catch just 5% of those negative thoughts, and BUSHWACK a new trail (a new thought), you could have a more positive and different life.

The key here is to CATCH THEM!

Studies have shown that we think the same 70-80 thoughts everyday just in different ways.   These would make up our 60,000 thoughts.

Before the BUSHWACKING, comes AWARENESS.

This week, before we bushwack, your task is to write out your 70-80 thoughts.

YES…get out those journals and write out your 70-80 thoughts!   (At least I didn’t say 60,000.)  You might notice that they tend to fit in certain categories, which is why the 60,000 turns in to 70-80, just thought in different ways.  This is similar to WEEK 4 where the task was to GIVE NOTICE to your thoughts.  This time, however, write them out.

Feel free to share how it was to list your 70-80 thoughts in the comments.

Cheering You on to a Whole Aware Before Whacking Heart,
Barbara