Okay. So I'm going to reflect back. I think it was around 2014. I was driving my boys back and forth to swim practice. They were on a competitive swim team. My husband traveled a lot, and I would take them back and forth to practice. And so in that time, I always wanted to listen to personal development. My kids wanted to listen to music, and so they couldn't find a station. Right?
So instead, I got to choose, and we would listen to this Audible book that we listened to. It was by Jack Canfield. It was The Success Principles. And I thought, well, if my kids are going to learn something, let's learn it all together. And it was so perfect because Jack Canfield was sharing a story that really resonated with all of us, and I'll tell you the story and the reason why I felt really called to share this episode about perspective and about the way we view things. Like, In our mind, what do we normally gravitate towards versus what we really have control over?
And so if you know the book, He speaks about a boy that's in his backyard, and he's a baseball player, a very young boy, and he's pitching to himself. So he's pitching the ball, throws it up in the air, and he swings the bat, and he strikes out, and he does it again. He throws the ball up because he's the pitcher. Throws the ball up. He now swings with his other hand, and he strikes himself out. He does it one more time. Throws the ball up, and he strikes out. Now his dad's watching him and comes over like any parent that would want to swoop in and help their child and says, oh, I'm really sorry that you struck out. And he's like, no. I didn't. He said, I am the best pitcher. I just struck myself out.
I thought, oh my gosh, like, how genius is this young boy to look at this perspective. And, of course, for me as my boys will listen to us in the car, and I'm like, oh my god. Please. I hope this sinks in to understand the thoughts that we have and where our mind constantly goes. So I'm going to ask you. As you listen to the story, Did your mind start to wander on, oh, the poor kid is poor guy striking himself out. He's going to feel like crap, and, You know, he's going to think he's bad. I mean, when I started listening to that story, the first time I thought, oh, I feel so bad for him because those are the stories that I keep saying to myself that I'm striking out. I'm not doing well, and then in turn, I feel those feelings like, poor me. What's wrong with me? And until I really sat down and kept listening to that experience, That story in the book, I realized that I had control of what I wanted to think about and how I wanted to feel.
Here's a beautiful takeaway. You can choose what to say, but your body doesn't have a choice. I'm going to repeat that again because I think this is very profound to what we're saying about what you say and then how you feel. You can choose what to say, but your body doesn't have a choice. Isn't that wild? I mean, for me, it is. It's one of those things that I just sit with them. I go, wow. I never thought of that before because I'm always thinking of the negative, and then I'm feeling it. Right? It becomes that perpetual cycle of those patterns and habits that we're trying to break.
Here's something I want you to take away that you will take away from this episode. So number 1, I want you to understand that your thoughts create your behavior. Again, your thoughts create your behavior. Every word creates this blueprint in your mind and body to make it as real as possible that your mind will create this reality that you think is real.
And number 2, your mind does not care what you tell it. It doesn't matter if you say good things or bad things. It can't decipher between true and false, useful or useless, helpful and helpless. Let's look at some of the examples from number 1. That was every thought you think and every word creates this blueprint of who you are right now today. Every word that you said became this emotional behavior to what you do today. It's pretty powerful. Right? I just want you to think about that.
So, for example, if you've ever said and I chuckle because I've said this so many times. I no longer say it, but this is what I used to think and say. I look at cake, and I can get fat. I am ugly, and I'm a fat pig. I have never been able to do x y z. This is just too hard for me. My genetics say this is the way that my life is supposed to be. Subconsciously, you're taking in your mind and body are taking in everything that you say and everything you think.
So let's go back to the boy. Are you the pitcher, or are you the batter? Are you the pitcher that's striking yourself out, but because that's your job. That's what you want. Your intention is to strike Someone out if you're the pitcher. Right? That's the goal. But it's in the action that he kept saying to himself over and over. I'm going to strike him out. I'm going to strike him out. I'm the best pitcher. Just like he said to his dad, I didn't strike out, dad. I struck myself out. I'm the pitcher. I am a fabulous, phenomenal pitcher. Do you see the difference of the perspective that you say because then you start to believe that and feel that.
I want you to take away, now reframing what you're saying subconsciously, and this is where it stops. And if you catch yourself, that's exactly what I'm going to tell you to do. I used to say and walk around my house saying, stop it, Tina. You are phenomenal at what you do. You have so much passion. You're committed to your discipline and showing up for yourself. You're not here to self-sabotage yourself. You are better than that. You are beautiful, and I am worth it, and I am enough.
I want you to practice those words because, again, moving into number 2, Your mind doesn't care what you tell it. Good or bad. True or false. Useful or useless. Helpful or unhelpful. You get to choose what you say to yourself. It is one of the most powerful things, and you can change that. I speak from my own experience talking about the times when I felt not good enough, compared myself. Oh, I didn't have a degree in this, so you know what? I'm not going to bother trying. There's always going to be someone better than me. Yeah. Absolutely. There's going to be someone ahead of me or and behind me. I am where I'm supposed to be, doing the work.
So changing what you say to yourself, use the example of the young boy. He said he was the best pitcher. He was unstoppable. He was phenomenal. He was the greatest, and the more he said that to himself, the more he was able to strike others out. And that's the message here is that you have to learn how to reframe what you're saying to yourself because your mind doesn't care if you're saying, well, this is good, and this is bad. No. This is true. This is false. These are the meanings you're putting to it, and, usually, it's ancestral. It's something that happened in years ago that now becomes the lens which you view your world and how you show up. And I forever am grateful that from that short little 10 minute drive that my boys were able to hear that story. And I'm so grateful that I can repeat that story even though it was almost 10 years ago because it has stuck with me and now it's become, like, my own mantra. What am I saying to myself? How is it making me feel? And I'm allowed to stop it. That's the greatest gift in your life is that you get to choose what you say because your body is just going to follow along.
So let's recap; how you can have more powerful words and then implement them? So number 1, let's start by being more descriptive with the power of positive words. Because I'm going to ask you. If you meet someone, they say, how are you? I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm good. Your brain needs powerful, exciting, memorable words in order for you to keep changing and moving into who you want to become.
Take a moment now, just a quick moment, to think about some of the words that you normally use. Okay. Just fine. Good. Or would you be excited about great, fantastic, extraordinary, fabulous, unstoppable, magnificent, powerful, strong. These are the words that your mind needs in order for you to reframe the way you feel about yourself or where you want to go and who you want to become.
Powerful, positive, descriptive words, so I'm going to give you an exercise. I want you to write down the most powerful words that you can keep saying to yourself that will change who you are. And when you take these powerful words, I want you to remember that you are responsible to what you say and what you think.
And I'm going to leave you with this. Remember: your happiness is worth the exercise.