If I Knew Then…

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Have you ever had this thought before? If I knew then what I know now. Boom! I have those thoughts every once in a while.

It would be cool if I could go back in time and give myself knowledge. Wouldn’t that be sweet? However, two things come to mind. First, I can’t go back in time and train myself. Second, I like who I am now which is a result of my past journey including the failures.

Instead, I like to focus on what I can control moving forward.

Here is a look at three things I’m getting good at these last couple of years. I bet my future self will be happy I put in the work.

1. Meditation – Blah blah blah. I know you’ve heard so much about it. Let’s be honest, are you meditating each day?

There are so many ways to meditate. Are you switching it up and finding the method that works best for you? I found great success when I changed from sitting meditation to standing meditation.

Do you see results? If not, make a pivot, get some new training, and keep at it. When you figure it out, meditation becomes a life changer.

2. Gratitude – There is so much more to the practice of gratitude than just being grateful for your health, family, or food. The trick I’ve learned is to challenge my brain to find new things to be grateful for each day. It becomes a game.

The more I embrace gratitude, the more my brain naturally focuses on the positives instead of the negatives. I notice things throughout my day that I can highlight and appreciate.

By focusing on what I like instead of what I don’t like, I’m sending out specific vibrations into the universe. Good vibes attract good vibes. Like attracts like. An attitude of gratitude means good times for me.

3. Inner Dialog – Yep I said it. I talk to myself in a positive, constructive way. I do not embrace negative self-talk. I focus on positive self-coaching in between sessions with my coach.

How about you? Do you talk to yourself?

I ask myself questions that are life changing. The kind that dive into who I am, how am I showing up in the world, and who I want to become.

One of my favorites is, “what are you going to do about it?”, Which drives me to develop an action plan. You can see some more examples I wrote about in a previous blog post by clicking here.

Asking the right question puts the onus on you to make a decision. It puts you in the best possible position to succeed by visualizing what you want. It puts your brain to work to solve for answers. It also helps you navigate those negative thoughts that tend to pop up when you least expect it.

If I knew then what I know now. It sounds tempting, but I’m excited to flip that question around and focus on the future and the things I can control. I’m grateful to learn new things each day and to meet new influences.

Cheers to all of the things I’ll be so happy to know in the future.

What is on your list? What will you be grateful to know in the future?

Cheers,

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11 thoughts on “If I Knew Then…

  1. I think about it the same way you do, Jace — I don’t waste time wishing I knew what, when. I too know that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all of the unique experiences and, um, “growth opportunities” along the journey.

    I still struggle with the meditation practice, but I am a firm believer in a gratitude practice. I also try to eliminate the negative thoughts ASAP, and replace ’em with positive ones.

    Great stuff!! Thanks for sharing.

  2. Thanks, Diane! Keep working on the meditation. Start small. I started with 30 seconds of standing meditation and quickly got the hang of it. Cheers

  3. My mind sometimes wonders to what ifs and should haves but then I catch myself and change my thoughts. I realize the journey is as it should be and what happened in the past served as a tool for the future.

    Great points. So important to remember.

  4. Love this! I’m grateful for new friends like you that help show me a new way of looking at life! Thanks!

  5. I just love this blog! Everyday is a journey for me, I try not to look back, of what if but rather focus on today, just today. I love meditating every morning, it helps me to focus and realize to be grateful for everything I have in my life right now. And I have this thing I do every morning when waking up, I tell myself this: Today is going to be a good day!!

  6. Great, great great reminders Jace ! Thanx much! also, your book, “Thought About It” is invaluable! I shared it with my wife as well !

  7. Thank you, Paul! It’s been a journey the last few years and Thought About It has helped a lot. I appreciate your kind comments. I’m grateful you found value in the book. Cheers