Good Company

 Good Company

"You are the average of the top five people you spend the most time with," 
                                                                                                                      - Jim Rohn

                            Who are you keeping time with?

When I ask you this question, I don't just mean the actual people in your life, (though this is important to look at because the people you spend time with will, undoubtedly influence how you feel about yourself).

I mean the thoughts and feelings you spend time with, and the memories. 

In other words, what version of yourself are you hanging out with?

What are the top 5 memories you replay in your head?

What are the stories you tell about yourself?
Are they positive, negative, or in-between?

What we think about ourselves is how we then behave.

Our thoughts and feelings are the material with which we build our foundations.

If you're reminding yourself of a negative memory in which you were a victim, you are likely re-experiencing the feelings. But, if you re-tell a story of how you succeded, how do you think you'll feel about yourself  and your life?

The spiritual teacher, Byron Katie asks, "Who would you be without your story?"

This is not to say that you deny your story happened. No. But, why choose one story over another? The stories we tell about ourselves affect us, intimately.

So, I implore you:

* Watch your thoughts.* Watch which stories you re-tell to yourself or others-- however funny or amusing.

* What stories would you tell if you weren't telling these?

* Try telling different, uplifting stories.

* Notice how you feel.

* What you feel and think about can define how you behave, and, therefore, who you become. 

(Yes, the photo is from the show, Friends). :) 

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Dr. Heather Schwartz is an integrative psychologist in private practice in Portland, Oregon who delights in working with kind and expressive people who want to live from their hearts and follow their dreams.