Think New Thoughts

Our brains are interpreting facts all day long...and sometimes we end up making assumptions or drawing conclusions that aren't actually true. Did you know that you don't have to believe everything your brain tells you? In this episode, I share 2 simple strategies that can help you challenge your brain a little bit when it gets carried away in lots of drama about things that happen in your life.  ...

Last week's episode was about noticing and understanding your thoughts, rather than trying to control them.  The next step, once you become aware of your thinking, is to give your thought a "product review." In other words, you evaluate whether the thought you are thinking is helping you create what you want in your life, or helping you create what you don't want. Tune in to today's episode to fin...

Some people, when they first start learning about life coaching, they get the idea that what we're trying to do is  control our thoughts. We gotta push those negative thoughts away, don't let them in, and just figure out a way to make ourselves think positive.  What I teach, what I believe in, is actually not that at all.  In this episode, I share two words that describe what I'm aiming to do with...

My oldest son is about to turn 20. Over the years I have shifted my mindest from being frustrated that my kids have the ability to make choices I wouldn't make, more toward honoring and celebrating their god-given right to decide how they will live their lives and who they want to be. In today's episode I share a piece of my journey in the form of a letter I wrote to my son a few years ago.  If yo...

Have you ever worn a sweater that was super uncomfortable?  That was too tight, or too scratchy, or that you just didn't feel excited to go out in?  Thoughts are like sweaters. Some thoughts fit just right, and you'll feel really good when you think them. Other thoughts feel uncomfortable, or downright terrible. Sometimes we buy sweaters for ourselves that we really don't end up liking, or sometim...

If you want to set a New Year's Resolution that is guaranteed not to last more than a month, look no further for the ultimate guide--I'll show you exactly how.  In this epsiode, I'll teach you how to focus exclusively on the actions you need to take, how to criticize yourself, and and how to maintain rigidity in your plans to ensure that you lose motivation to achieve any goal in a matter of weeks...

What is your perception of forgiveness?  When you think about the idea of forgiving someone who has wronged you, do you feel about as excited as a toddler who is being told it's time to take a nap?  If you are carrying around frustration and resentment over things that have happened in the past, you probably have some understandable reasons why you don't want to let go. And you don't have to.  But...

Have you ever longed for a project, commitment or event to be over so you can finally get relief from all the stress?  A lot of people imagine the relief they will feel when their circumstances are different. But since relief is a feeling, and feelings are created by your thoughts (not your circumstances!), there are certain types of relief that are actually available to you right now, even if you...

Your life is like a musical, and you are the director. You get to choose what you shine your mental spotlight on.  It's up to you to decide what things you will think about, talk about, post about, complain about, worry about, express gratitude for, or believe in. Who or what do you want to cast as the lead in your musical?? Where do you want to give your focus and attention? Tune into this week's...

Did you know you can be grateful for things that haven't happened yet?  You can't know exactly what the future holds, but if you visualize what you hope for and believe is possible, you can experience a feeling of gratitude now, that will fuel you toward a future that is full of things to be grateful for. Tune into this week's episode to consider a whole new way of looking at what it means to have...

If you're looking to feel frustrated, powerless, and exhausted, I know just the thing!  It's called arguing with reality.  Most of us do it all day long, and it drains our energy and gets us nowhere. In this episode, I'll share 3 things you can't ever change no matter how hard you try, and show you how to train your brain to focus on what you CAN change. Listen in for a fresh take on what gratitud...

Did you know that when you feel stressed about the holidays, it's not caused by the gifts, the decorations, or your busy schedule? In this episode, I'll tell you about a sneaky thought (that seems lovely but is actually toxic!) that creates so much stress if you believe it. I'll also share some ideas of what you can choose to believe instead.  If you don't feel any stress or anxiety or worry about...

Thoughts create feelings. So what thoughts create anxiety? If you're like most people, you probably feel anxious when you are thinking thoughts that focus on things you worry might happen in the future or emotions you worry you might  feel in the future. In this episode, I point out what a lot of people do to try to decrease anxiety that doesn't usually work, and I share a  strategy that's only a...

Have you ever regretted a decision you made, or something you said or did?  If you're like most people, you've probably longed for the ability to go back in time and fix a mistake you made so you could get out of feeling all that regret.  Well, unless you're Marty McFly from Back to the Future, you'll probably never have a time machine to go back and change the past.  The good news is, you don't n...

Do you sometimes feel sorry for yourself when life doesn't go the way you planned, or when you face challenges, difficulties, or disappointments? If you do, it's totally fine. You can choose to feel sorry for yourself anytime you want to. But, if you don't really like the feeling of self-pity, you can actually choose connection, gratitude, and hope instead--even when you are going through hard thi...

Do you ever feel like you are on trial?  Like every day, you have to somehow prove that you are smart, capable, and good enough... Or depending on the evidence of the day, accept the verdict that you aren't?!   Do you put other people on trial, too? If you're tired of  trying to prove who measures up and who doesn't, or of trying to play judge, jury, defendant, and prosecutor with yourself and in...

If you're like most people, you sometimes end up blaming other people for the negative parts of your life, or you beat YOURSELF up when you make mistakes or fall short. In this episode I'll show you why blame and shame are both tempting, but utimately aren't useful because they both keep you trapped in negative emotion. And did you know that blame and shame aren't your only two options?  I'll tell...

Something that drives me crazy is to reach into a drawer to get a pen and not have any pens in there. Which is pretty funny, because I also have a habit of using a pen in one room and then wandering into another room without realizing I'm doing it.  Tune in to this week's episode to get a few good laughs about what it looks like when we accidentally create results in our lives that we don't want,...

In this episode I share a life coaching tool that is the foundation of everything I do as a coach. I use this tool with my clients, I use it to coach myself, I use it to create courses, and you can use it to make any changes you want to make in your life. It's called The Model.  Tune in to find out what it is and how you can start benefitting from it right away!   Grab my free PDF: 100 Thoughts Yo...

Do you want to find more joy in your relationships? Would you like to be in the driver's seat of your own emotions, instead of constantly feeling worried or frustrated about what other people do and say?  In this episode, I explain how there is a big difference between what happens in your life and the way you choose to  interpret what happens. I share how to separate circumstances from thoughts,...

Welcome to the Think New Thoughts Podcast!  In this introductory episode, I share the idea that you have the power to choose the thoughts you want to think, and explore 2 truths and a lie about life coaching: The truth that all thoughts are optional, the truth that what we choose to think creates our emotions, and the lie we often believe that what HAPPENS to us determines how we feel. If you've h...