Being conscious starts with being aware of how your inner world creates your outer experience. In practical terms this means noticing how your thoughts and feelings create the actions and results in your life.

The problem is we spend much of our lives not being conscious of what we’re thinking or feeling. We say we’re frustrated or overwhelmed as though it’s happening to us. In the moment, we’re not aware that we’re creating those feelings by the way we’re thinking.

Here’s what I mean:

Think: No one does it right and you’ll feel frustrated. 

Think: There’s too much to do and you’ll feel overwhelmed. 

Think: We’re not going to make it and you’ll feel anxious.

These are universal cause and effect pairs. The way you are thinking is causing those feelings. 

But, you say, “I’m right about this! Everyone is making mistakes and there is too much to do and I am worried we might not make our financial targets.” 

The question is, how does feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and anxious help you? 

It doesn’t. 

Focusing your mind that way keeps you stuck on the problem, not the solution. It drains your energy, makes you feel bad, and affects people around you.

There are thousands of other thoughts available to you, but only when you realize:
1. You’re thinking
2. Your thoughts are optional

Like a fish in water, most of the time we don’t realize we’re thinking, and when we do, we believe our thoughts are facts.

Practice separating thoughts from facts:

Fact: The contract isn’t signed.
Thought: They’ll never hire us.

Fact: The team made a mistake.
Thought: I have to do it myself.

It’s important to learn this skill, because your thoughts affect how you feel. And your feelings are the energy that fuels what you do. 

Maybe when you feel anxious you have too many glasses of wine that night and skip your workout. The next day you have less energy and confidence to take risks and move your business forward. 

Or when you feel frustrated maybe you snap at your team and create barriers. Then you end up taking over the work, they feel disempowered and you’ve taught them to be dependent on you. 

You can dramatically change your results by increasing awareness of what you’re thinking and feeling and not taking action until your energy is aligned with the results you want. 

One way to do this is to notice how you’re feeling. Any time you’re feeling bad, you will always be thinking about what you don’t want. 100% of the time.

Before doing anything, change your energy by refocusing on what you do want. 

There’s a great example of how one founder did it in this week’s video.

The choice is yours: you can be unconscious and react to life, or be conscious and create it.