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...but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your MIND…”
-Paul the Apostle
Romans 12:1-2, the verse from which the above quote is taken, is probably my favorite passage in scripture. I often joked that during my years as a pastor, the only message I ever really preached was Romans 12:1-2. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. Two big thoughts 1. Our WHOLE lives are worship to God and 2. We are made new when we changed how we think.
Changing the way that you think is central in all growth and success. Without a new way of thinking a new way of doing won’t ever come into fruition. How do you make that happen when there are old ruts and stumbling blocks along the way?
Changing, REALLY changing the way you think includes:
1. Believing that different results are possible. If you’ve had the same negative outcome 100 times, unless you genuinely believe that there is a different possibility available to you, you’ll not ever achieve it. You don’t have to KNOW that the outcome will be different yet, just BELIEVE that it will be.
2. Imagining and praying about what a different outcome would be. I know not everyone reading this blog is a person of faith, but to not recognize the impact that prayer has had on my life would be insincere. When I pray new opportunities seem to open up for me. When I pray, I have greater hope. When I pray, the way that I think about my circumstances begins to change. Imaginging how life could be and praying that God would help make it be are key in changing the way that I think. For example, when my time of service as a pastor came to an end, my imagining a different life for myself and praying to God about it allowed me to think of what it would be like to be a coach. That mindset change transformed my whole career.
3. Taking action…even if you don’t fully believe it yet. Habit patterns are deeply woven into our brains. It takes weeks to create new pathways of thinking and years for them to fully take hold. Once you have a vision for what the different approach to life would be, go ahead and take the first steps! Even if you don’t think they’ll work yet. You must take action for the mindset change to fully take place.
When you change your way of thinking, you can change whole outcomes to your life!
Big Question: What part of changing the way you think is most difficult for you, believing, imagining or action? Why? Let me know in the comments below
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I am a life and leadership coach, a parent, a husband and follower of God...in inverse order. I love baseball, movies and cooking too!
