Pre-conditioning….and a Dog Named Bacon

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I have an 83 pound Pitbull named Bacon. His name is Bacon because he is the biggest, snuggliest, goofiest meathead I have ever been lucky enough to encounter. However, this is a fact that is often overlooked. As we walk down the street together, Bacon leading the way, it always makes me giggle to see how this giant lump of love is so negatively perceived by passerby. Of course there are those who will stop and offer him a well-received pat on the head, but for the most part, people steer clear. Why am I telling you this and what does it have to do with coaching, right? Well, it’s a great example of how we are preconditioned to certain beliefs. We live in a society that has created a stigma around Pitbulls, and so now, our general reaction to them stems from a place of fear. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Where else in our lives are we preconditioned to faulty beliefs? When the foundation of our belief system is shaky in any certain area, it will inevitably impact all of the other areas of our lives, so it is important to note these places and redirect our thoughts. Maybe you were raised in a family that struggled to pay the bills, and now you believe that money is the root of all evil.. Maybe you were raised in a household where children were meant to be seen and not heard, and now you struggle to find your voice as an adult. Maybe you were raised in a home where your creative mind was not encouraged to thrive and now you are feeling stuck and as though something is missing from your life. The funniest part about all of this is, is that you may feel in these limiting ways without any knowledge of where it’s all coming from. But….the coolest part about your brain? You can rewire all of these outdated modes of thinking. Think of it like this….you’ve been driving around in a rusty, beat up junker with manual windows and no AC, but the whole time you’ve had the keys to a brand new BMW in your pocket. Why wouldn’t you take it out for a test drive, right? This is how it works with your thoughts. You are not destined to feel this way forever, pending you CHOOSE to make some changes and learn to reorient to different ways of thinking. Why wouldn’t you give it a try, especially if doing so was almost certain to make you feel happier, lighter, more excited about your life, calmer, and more confident. Sounds horrible, right?

So, now you are empowered with the knowledge that you DO have the strength and ability to change your thoughts. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to pass by the Pitbull, or stop and give that adorable little face a smooch? He’s waiting, tail wagging a million miles a minute.