Are You Wandering Around in Your Mind?

The other day I was trying to explain how sometimes we find ourselves over thinking, rationalizing, and otherwise doing mental gymnastics that end up keeping us stuck right where we are in the same old story. I said it is a little like just wandering around in your mind.

For me that image conjured up scenes of people wandering aimlessly through the woods, mountaintops, and valleys with no maps, no trail markers, and zero sense of direction. Just wandering and wandering and wondering why they are not getting where they want to go. Simply finding themselves back where they’ve been before over and over like a crazy and frustrating déjà vu.

One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Einstein and it essentially says that we cannot solve problems (make changes) at the same level of thinking that created them. That means the mindset you’ve been in is not the same mindset you need in order to overcome the obstacles you find in your life or to take your life and business to the next level of success and fulfillment. It’s not a matter of just trying harder, an inner shift must first be made.

When we’re wandering around in our minds circling the guideposts of fears, doubts, and concerns we are essentially saying "I don’t want what I say I want. Don’t listen to what I say because I don’t really mean it." As a result we stay committed to what we already have or even the opposite of what we want instead of breaking free and creating what we desire.

Excuses are a natural byproduct of wandering around in our minds. A little like a manufacturing plant, as we churn away in our heads we spit out excuses like widgets: "I can’t afford to...", "I don’t have time...", "It’s not the right time..." or any other version of supposed justifications that leave us no better off than we were before. If anything, we often feel even worse because we have just teased our inner self with the promise of something (a new possibility, the promise of change) and then swiped it away like an angry parent.

Do you find yourself wandering around in your mind a lot?

If so, there is hope! I know because I’ve spent many days lost in the maze in my head. Here’s a surefire way to start to break the cycle.

Consciously stop. Simply stop thinking. Like they say - if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!
Take a few moments to get grounded and connect with your heart instead of your head. You can do that by closing your eyes, taking a few slow, deep, breaths, and simply noticing your feet on the ground and the body you inhabit.
Connect with a part of you that is infinitely wise and has all the answers and ask: What do I most need to shift right now in order to stop the aimless wandering?
Allow whatever messages you receive to just come. I have found writing in a stream of consciousness way in a journal to be particularly effective.

Awareness is the first step. Once you can actually notice the fact that you are wandering you have the power to make a change. With a little more information from inside you can start to reset your internal compass in a new direction.