Are you ruled by intense feelings that seem out of your control? Although emotions may seem to arise out of nowhere, they’re really just feedback in response to our thoughts. They’re like road signs pointing us toward what we want in life.
Emotional feedback can either be positive or negative, depending on several factors. Everyone loves positive feelings, so there’s little need to work with those. Instead, we're going to focus on negative feelings in this article. When you know how to use negative feelings to your advantage, a whole new world of happiness and success will appear to you.
What’s the Source?
If you're currently experiencing a negative emotion, ask yourself what the cause is. What were you just thinking about? Now ask yourself why that thought is creating a negative emotion.
Your negative emotion is merely telling you that something is wrong. It's analogous to putting your hand on a hot stove. Your hand hurts to prompt you to move it. This protects you from suffering further harm. That negative sensation tells you that something needs to be remedied so you can feel better again.
Frequently, when you encounter negative emotions, you’ll find that you’re doing something that’s out of alignment with your values or goals. Alternatively, you may be experiencing fear that you’ll soon need to act in this way.
A Call to Action
Now that you have some idea what’s causing your negative emotion, what do you do with it? The best possible use of feedback is to take action.
Do you feel lonely? Then make some plans to get out and spend some time with friends. Are you experiencing stress about money? Make a budget, reduce your bills, or devise a plan to earn more.
If you’re not sure how to remedy your negative emotions, just imagine taking a particular action and see how your feelings change. As you imagine various actions, pick the one that feels most thoroughly good to you.
Achieving Your Goals
Want a great tool for predicting if you'll reach a goal? Imagine achieving the goal. Then think about everything it would likely take to get there. How does it feel? The thought of making $50,000 next month sounds great, but how do you feel when you really think about it? Are the emotions and thoughts all positive? If so, you'll probably do it.
This thought probably causes you some discomfort, though, or you’d be on your way to the 50k already.
See if some of these thoughts are preceding your uncomfortable emotions:
· How would I ever do it?
· What would I do with the money?
· I'll probably have to do something illegal or immoral.
· I’ll definitely have to do something I don’t want to do.
· What will my friends think?
If you're not filled with a sense of enthusiasm, you’re probably thinking something negative about the idea of making 50k next month. And with thoughts like this, you're very unlikely to be successful. On the other hand, if you can eliminate these thoughts and feelings with appropriate action, you're much more likely to accomplish whatever you put your mind to.
Unpleasant though our negative emotions may be, they’re truly a gift. They let us know when we're getting off track, and provide constant feedback from our subconscious. Learn to utilize your feelings effectively, and you’ll have a huge advantage at anything you do.