Thought Control | “Fatigue Makes Cowards of Us All”

When I first started giving a lot of speeches on sales, motivation, and referral marketing, I found myself traveling home on airplanes – often very late at night. I noticed that on these late flights, I seemed to have a lot of negative, doubting thoughts. I would even start to feel a little depressed.  I was starting to hate the travel associated with what is usually exciting and rewarding work. This got me thinking about the value of thought control.

So I did a little research and found the title quote from legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi.

[ctt title=”‘Fatigue makes cowards of us all.’ – Vince Lombardi” tweet=”‘Fatigue makes cowards of us all.’ – Vince Lombardi | http://ctt.ec/VtheP+ | @Bill_Cates” coverup=”VtheP”]

He is SO RIGHT!  When we are tired, our courage and positive attitude seem to disappear, only to be replaced by negativity, fear, and inaction.

Thought Control

In a past article I pointed out that although we may not have control over what thoughts pop into our heads, but we sure do have control over what we do with them.   When a negative thought pops into your head, you have an immediate choice.  “Do I go with this way of thinking or do I push it away and chose a more positive line of thinking?”

Once I got in tune with this concept of how fatigue affects our thoughts and actions, I started handling it differently.  Perhaps these routines I’ve developed will be of some help to you.

Making the Shift

• When I’m tired, I’m on guard for negative thoughts and a sudden lack of courage to do what’s important – even if it’s not comfortable. My “wimp alert” is activated. That alone helps keep the negativity boogyman away and helps me to maintain better thought control.
• When I become aware of a negative line of thinking, I ask myself, “Do I really want to spend my energy on this train of thought?”  Of course, the answer is “no” and I then shift to a different topic.  When I’m feeling resentful about something someone did, I make the choice to stop taking that poison. (As Malachy McCourt said, “Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”)
• I try to schedule tasks that are uncomfortable to me for the time of day I have the most energy (courage).  For me, it’s usually in the morning (after a good workout).  I make an appointment with myself on my calendar and I get it done.  (Most of the time.  Hey!  I’m human – far from perfect.)

There Will Be No Ostriches 

I’m not saying we always avoid negative thoughts or problems that occur in our life.  Of course not! We face them with courage – as best we can. But being able to compartmentalize certain trains of thoughts or feelings has its place.  Avoidance?  No!  Timing?  Yes!

Be Self-Aware 

Awareness is a powerful “muscle” for us to exercise. Self-awareness is the most powerful of them all. Tune your awareness into how your attitude and courage are affected by your energy level.  Staying fit, of course, helps a lot.  Being aware and adjusting when the negativity bogyman shows up will serve you – and everyone around you – quite well.

We love to hear from you! Please share your input about thought control with us in the comment section below or join the conversation on social media.