Podcast: The Game of Life & How to Play it

The Game of Life & How to Play it by Florence Scovel Shinn

(A podcast found on Spotify) On a sunny Thursday morning, I received a message from Kyle suggesting I listen to this podcast. I listened to certain parts of it and very briefly but this was my take out. A very, very brief summary: As people we attract negativities because of our fears. When we constantly look for bad things, that's the energy we put out there. My heart sank. I am a big believer in manifestations, visualisations, the power of the mind and the power of the spoken word and yet I was constantly worried about our baby. Is there something wrong because she's not drinking as much milk today? Omw, she hasn't pooped today, why? Is there a reason she doesn't want to sleep? All these thoughts and not the most obvious one which could just be that she's learning! Everything is new. Every day will be different and she's human. Maybe she just does not feel like sleeping all that much today. These types of thoughts do not only apply to those who are parents though. It is common for so many of us to live in a state of fear and to project that negativity onto others. For example: someone chooses to train for a half marathon. This person is an occasional runner and so far has only ran to work on their fitness and for leisure, never to run a race. Why are our first thoughts usually along the lines of "he or she is crazy"? We may not always say it out loud but our own fears or apprehension creates negative thoughts and feelings towards others. It's important to take a step back from that spiral, take a deep breath and allow calmness, faith and overall positivity to be restored. It doesn't always happen over night but it's important to stop your negative thoughts and fears in its tracks and ask yourself why am I thinking of this situation in a negative way? What about this situation or conversation is positive. We may be subconsciously attracting negative energy and then wondering why bad or strange things happen. For this reason I love journaling and yoga. Journaling, to sift through my thoughts and to separate the rational from the irrational, the positive from the negative. Yoga, because it encourages relaxation, teaches breathing techniques, helps improve fitness and usually assists to eliminate negative thinking and thoughts about yourself and in turn others. Those mantras you are told to say during the yoga practice works wonders. What are some of the techniques you use when you feel your thoughts are mostly negative or you're constantly in a state of fear? *I am yet to listen to the entire podcast but it's definitely on my list of things to do.