Episode 6: Reality? It’s All In Your Head
Week 6 at Impact Central was supposed to be relaxing.
Well. ‘Reflective’. In my mind that means ‘no hard work’.
Ha!
If you’re a reflective person you’ll know reflecting is the hardest job of all.
Heck, we busy ourselves with the rest of life so we don’t have to reflect.
Well, thank you Ian Smart for giving me some hard work and forcing me to look at myself.
Placebo Success
We all know about the placebo effect. You believe a pill is gonna make you feel better — and you make it true.
Your thoughts literally change reality.
Out of thin air! Well, a sugar pill in this case.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) uses the same mechanism. You learn to think differently — to change your thoughts about yourself or something you’re struggling with.
Your new healthy thoughts make you feel better. Suddenly you have more self esteem. Magic!
Tell Yourself The Right Story
The story you want to be true. NOT the story you think is true. (Because — newsflash — it probably isn’t).
Our brains are kinda dumb. We’re always looking for evidence that our worst fears are true.
‘See! That person [frowned/pointed/laughed/insert-action-here] in my direction! I must be [ugly/awful/boring/stupid/insert-insult-here].’
Sound familiar?
We reinforce a lie to ourselves. Over and over again. Not because there’s any truth in it — but because we’re paying attention to it. So we make it true.
What if you tell yourself a different story?
My Inner Story
My default inner story goes something along the lines of:
‘I know nothing, I’m stupid, my ideas are dumb, no one is interested in what I’m saying’ etc etc.
But here’s the scary part: I didn’t realise I was telling myself this until I thought about it.
I know this isn’t true when I think logically. But these stories we tell ourselves go on in the background. We don’t even know we’re thinking them a lot of the time. But they have the power to inform our actions — and our success.
So what’s my new story gonna be?
What’s an ‘Expert’?
I’m an expert in personalised plant-based nutrition — according to the 10,000 hour hypothesis. (This theory hasn’t actually been replicated in studies but, hey, let’s use it as a rough benchmark.)
I’ve spent the last 4 years working 8+ hour days studying, reading scientific articles, working with clients, writing nutrition blogs, working on Vojo. That’s 4 x 365 x 8 = 11,680 hours.
OK, let’s say I’ve had 10 days off per year (which is probably much more than the reality — especially since I usually work 12 hour days).
That’s still 11,360 hours.
On top of that I’ve been following a wholefood plant-based diet for 10 years. That’s 87,600 hours plant-based life experience.
Plus I’ve been through a lot of the health issues associated with vegan diets myself.
Long story short: I know what I’m talking about.
My New Inner Story
Here’s my new story:
‘I’m an expert in personalised plant-based health and nutrition. I help people achieve optimal health and live a long life on a plant-based diet by truly understanding their body’s needs according to their genes.’
And if someone doesn’t like what I have to say, they can bugger off! ;)
I’d love to hear your inner story — let me know in the comments!
