Anytime life’s frustrations cause your mindset to be “Everything I do is wrong” or “Nothing I do turns out like I want it to”, there may be a simple solution. Whatever your natural tendency is (to do) in a situation, do the opposite.
What you’ve learned and are conditioned to do will be your default behavior. It will always feel like the right thing to do – even though it may not necessarily be. And if your (typical) impulse for everything you do leads you to negative (or wrong) results, then why not try doing the opposite? I agree that this may seem very unorthodox and may not make too much sense right now, but don’t discount it until you’ve tried it a few times. It may work well for you.
Thinking and acting opposite from your norm has the potential of changing your life. When you have a challenge in front of you or you have thoughts bombarding you with feelings of hopelessness, doom, failure or even death, try replacing those thoughts with the exact opposite thoughts. Whatever your normal reaction would be at that moment, do the exact opposite!
Stop, breathe, think and then begin to meditate on the opposite thought. For example, instead of crying in despair, go watch a funny TV show that makes you laugh. Instead of getting in bed and being sad, go for a walk in the sunshine. Instead of responding with a fiery email, reply back with nice words. Instead of calling a friend to complain, search for and read a few bible verses that tell of how God made you more than a conqueror.What you do at these critical times will make you or break you. When you’re facing one of those decisions that normally turns out “wrong” for you, try doing something totally against your natural/typical response.
Many decisions you think you're making - you're really not. It's your underlying belief (foundational) system that's making the decision for you - even before you've had an opportunity to consider the options.
This topic reminds me of a TV sitcom episode where one of the characters decides to do everything opposite of the way he would normally do them. His life hadn’t been too successful, so he figures he has nothing to lose. Well, when he begins to make decisions and do things opposite of the way he would typically do them, he begins to have success in every area of his life. His attitude gets better, he gets a great job, people begin to like him and he finally gets a girlfriend! My point in mentioning this silly, fabricated story is that maybe something needs to change for you. The key word is change. Have you ever considered that what you’ve been doing for the last 10, 20 or 50 years may not be working because you’re doing the wrong thing? You just do what you’ve always done because (obviously) that’s you, right? That’s what you do! But if you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to get what you’ve always got. You’re doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results. If my study habits during the first semester garnered me a “C” in the class, I shouldn't expect those same study habits to result in an “A” in the second semester.
On the other side of every negative thought is the Holy Spirit whispering a positive one. Hope and peace depends on which one we listen to and heed.
Do the opposite. It’s a very simple thing to do; the challenge is in doing it. Are you willing to get “punched in the face” and instead of punching back, turn the other cheek? Are you willing to give the tough love instead of coddle the needy person? Are you willing to not do what your typical self is screaming to do? Therein lies your answer. Therein lies the change you seek.
If nothing ever changes, then nothing ever changes. God is not complicated. He’s made things so simple for us that we miss it. Try doing the opposite. And even if doing the opposite is not the “perfect” response for the situation, it may help in changing your mindset to get you closer to the thoughts and reactions that result in better life outcomes.
WayneTolbert.com
