Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up. Ann Bradford
Isn’t that quote so hilarious … and just so true? There really is a “negative committee” that is having continual meetings in our minds. It’s conducting business of its own and of course leading the charge when it comes to stirring up all of our doubts.
I never really used to understand how much damage this “negative committee” was doing until I started taking a closer look.
This “negative committee” was extremely active whenever I was trying to accomplish something, make a change or break a bad habit.
It would continue to bring up doubts until it finally convinced me that I couldn’t do something
It advised me when things weren’t going to work out and when it was best for me to just move on
It focused on everything that was not coming together and made sure that it overshadowed everything that was working
It even determined when something wasn’t “realistic” and not worth trying
And, the crazy thing is I didn’t even realize how much control this “negative committee” had and how much I was listening to it.
For the most part, I used to let the “negative committee” call all the shots. I let it decide what was really possible.
But, not anymore.
I am now all about taking control of my “negative committee” and of course I want you to join me and do the same. Why?
Because that is how we really are able do everything we are capable of and stop getting in our own way.
We’ve got to get control of our “negative committee” and the reality is that it isn’t going to just disappear completely. We’re human and there are probably going to be those times when we have some doubts and maybe even some fears.
We have to work through those and keep them “in check”.
And, the key to doing that is to not let the “negative committee” be the loudest voice in the room. We absolutely can control it from overshadowing our confidence and all the success we are so capable of making.
However, if you don’t have control, it can do so much damage that it literally sabotages all the success you really could have.
the possibility of today:
1. Get control of your negative committee. Decide today that you are going to do whatever you need to and work through any doubts that creep up. We make plans for so many other things in our lives, there’s no good reason for us to not have a plan for controlling our “negative committee”. What are you going to make sure you do every single day to control your negative committee?
2. Integrate daily inspiration into your days. Make sure you read things that inspire and remind you of what you are really capable of. You need to have something you do daily that will counter all the junk and negativity that can build up in your mind without you even realizing it. It’s like Zig Ziglar explained, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily”.
3. Observe your thoughts. We have about 60,000 thoughts a day and once you start watching what you are thinking, you will probably be amazed at how many of those thoughts are negative. A lot of them happen on autopilot so we may not even realize what is going on. However, once we start taking a closer look at our thoughts, we become more aware and can get control of our negative thinking.
I am in love with the phrase “negative committee”! And 60,000 thoughts sounds easily possible, too, not counting the ones that collide against each other and crash
Half the time we end up sabotaging our own wonderful ideas. I would hate to admit the number of times I’ve written something and felt it was “not good enough” – then , reluctantly published it, only to have people say it was probably my best one ever. Sometimes we do not realize we spontaneously evolve and excel…and allow some silly notion to hold us back.
Loved the post, Sybil. I am glad my negative committee is grounded in a large way. Now if only I could charge them rent for occupying my mind, even if in a small way
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Big hugs to you, and have a wonderful Sunday, Sybil!
The meeting will now come to order.
At this time we will now hear from Health and Welfare:
Rand…do you have anything to report?
Yes, my sub-committee did a full body study on communication.
With the acknowledgement of the Secretary, we do now wish to present our findings.
‘Yes, go ahead.’
http://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY
With respect to our President, and the membership at large, our committee findings are as follows:
‘We need to actually ask and express our feelings externally, otherwise one does not know what the hell we are thinking.’ ‘Direction and results come from actual external verbal communication.’
Be it so recorded…
Great ideas! I like to call my negative committee my monkey mind – makes it seem a bit crazier and easier to keep in check. To put my monkey mind in its place, I like to face its challenges head on. When it tells me that I can’t do something or gives me reasons why I shouldn’t, I challenge those ideas. Usually the monkey mind backs down as soon as I look him in the eye.
My monkey mind also likes to throw up all kinds of reasons (excuses) for why I can’t achieve great things. I challenge those ideas by showing the monkey a number of examples of people with larger challenges who have achieved far greater things. At that the monkey throws up his hands and says, “OK, you got me there.” My conscious mind then devises ways for me to overcome or use those those challenges to my advantage.
The monkey will never go away. I just have to stay a step ahead of him and, as you say, stay aware of him by observing my thoughts.
Thanks for another great post Sibyl!
Sybil…
I love your phrase ‘negative committee’. There isn’t one individual who has done some type of inner work that hasn’t had to deal with the monkey mind. It is a life time of work.
I always go back to the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’ with Russell Crowe. He was the brilliant schizophrenic Math professor at Princeton. By the end of the movie when he knew that the voices weren’t real he was able to live a more ‘normal’ life.
We’re really not that different. We may not be psychotic BUT we are still leaving with untruths that sabotage us and keep us from living the life we are meant to.
Bottom line….as you said….you can tell the negative committee to beat it.
Great post Sybil. Fran
You are true Sibyl,
Autopilot in thinking should be thinking automatically about possibilities. But many times it will be in the negative way. I have started to control my thinking….. Looking more confident everyday in controlling my thoughts…
Thank you Sibyl for such a great post……
I watched a sermon by Joel Osteen recently in which he talked about this very thing. He used the image of the delete key to “delete” the negative talk, and substitute positive talk. It was pretty funny, but at the same time profound.
You are just ordinary…Delete!
You are not smart enough…Delete!
You are not talented enough…Delete!
You will never be able to…Delete!
You get the idea. We are often so unaware of that negative committee, and then when we become aware, we often believe it! I love the idea of just hitting the delete key and countering with positive statements.
Great post!
Thanx Sybil lm going to start a process of dissolving that commitee right now,
Great stuff here Sibyl. As a believer in the laws of attraction, I know this to be the case, but I also know that sometimes it’s hard to get your mind into the proper place. Negative thinking is so easy to do, while positive thinking does take work. But if it were easy…
Hi Sibyl,
The negative committee is indeed a great way to term the negative thoughts that arise when we try to do something. While the negative committee has its use in getting us to be cautious, we must not let them run the show and stop us from finding a way to succeed. I like the 3 ways that you have shared to put an end to negative thinking. Here are the thoughts that crossed my mind.
1. Get control of your negative committee
Some of the points that the negative committee raise may be valid. The key is to find out which is valid and which is not. This involves examining the points closely to see if there is any truth to them. We also need to see if we can find ways around genuine problems instead of giving up at the first sign of trouble. This is the best way to manage our negative committee.
Thank you for showing us how to live today better than yesterday!
Irving the Vizier
Love this post! I’m new to your site.
Funny, I just wrote a post on the topic of positive self-talk.
Love the quotes you found.
Here’s to our Positive Committee calling the shots in the board room of our minds.
…and so outside of the boardroom…outside of the theater of the mind…here in this moment…in front of everyone striped naked by the years.
I tell all that my first 15 years were spent sharing the same bedroom with my schizophrenic/mentally challenged brother.This first union ended upon his mental breakdown, but we did not abandon him, instead we made regular visits to Patton State Hospital as true love is true love.
When he returned I stayed active in his life while he lived in a board and care home shared with the like of his kind.
I know ever ‘facet’ of this kind of life…I have known it well before many of you were ever born. I know of all the voices. I know the conversations. I know the anger. I know the frustration. I know the tormenting. I know of the meds. I know of the desires that never come to fruition. I know the fears. I know the secret laughter. I know the secret life that cannot be hidden. I know the denial. I know of the rebelling from this internal prison…
I brought my brother John to live with me for most of his final 4 years.
No doubt the Thorazine and Zeprexia contributed to his renal carcinoma that took him from me and his loving nieces. I held his hand while he exhaled his final breath on this earth…as he knocked on heaven’s door.
And so my message in my first comment above holds true.
When one expresses their mind to you about the committee in their head be there *genuinely* listening to every word. Be there with all your heart. They desperately need someone to hear about whats going on and to help release them from their hell.
If it is your own mind that seems troubled, there is someone close by that will listen to you…just open your eyes with trust, and give yourself to them.
I know that after all these years…after all the helping that I have done, and with all the fantastic life experiences that have come my way, I have my own committee to deal with…
Great points and so important to read them. I have always been more negative than positive, until I radically changed my thoughts. It takes some effort, but it is certainly doable.
Love this quote. And yes, I’m very familiar with the committee. I had no idea how much damage it was causing, or even that it exists really.
I had a therapist tell me one time that my mind was a dangerous neighborhood. And that if I did “go in there,” I shouldn’t stay long and to preferably take a friend with me.
Thanks Jared for the comment and for dropping by. Isn’t it really so crazy how the negative committee can cause so much damage without us being aware. It is good to know though that just by shedding light on it and what it is trying to do, we can control it and often times stop it dead in its tracks:) Thanks for the comment and thanks for dropping by.
It is amazing how true all of this is. I thank you for sharing this with the thousands. What a wonderful place this would be if the whole wide world could get this info and start living a wonderful life. Thank you so much. I love you!
Thanks Georgia for the kind words:) I am so glad that you loved the post and thank you so much for dropping by and letting me know. I really appreciate it.
Excellent post!!!!
Thanks Eric. I take that as a HUGE compliment coming from the Zenmaster:) Love your email address:)