Winning the Battle Inside Your Dome
It seems we all have “The Committee” in our head telling us what to feel and how to react to life’s fast moving daily decisions. For me there seems to be a “Good Tim” and a “Less-Than-Good Tim” battling it out daily for control of my mind and consequently my actions. There are probably a lot of sub-characters rolling around in there too. But let’s keep it simple.
The movie “Inside Out” captured this daily personal comedy very well. In the movie young Riley, age 11 had the emotions of Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness all competing to be “in charge” of her thoughts at any given moment. It made for good comedy, but the message was much stronger if you go deeper. (Rent this movie, or watch this quick trailer to get a better idea of what I’m talking about.)
We can all relate to this struggle over our thoughts as a normal piece of life. Our thoughts and emotions are a daily challenge to control... so is being mindful of how we think, act and feel. This was extremely hard when we were young. It is not unusual to see a young kid screaming at his parents or siblings when they do not get their way.
As we mature, hopefully we gain “emotional intelligence” that helps us to sort things out daily. But how do we take this battle to a mastery level? How do we keep our emotions in check and “just go with it” to be the most chill individual we can be, while also being effective in pursuing our passions and being the best role model for our kids, family, friends and co-workers to emulate?
Here are 6 Tips to Help you win the Battle Inside Your Dome
Have awareness of this daily battle in your head and do all you can to be mindful of good choices in your thoughts and actions.
Ask others you know, love and care for how they deal with their “Committee.” How they do this and how can you do better? What do they think about your personal “emotional intelligence?”
Be a student of yourself. Seek to understand and grow wiser about your own moods and ups and downs. Pay attention to how you react to your daily interactions with others and how you react to bad news and stressful situations. Like when you are hungry and are prone to being “hangry.”
Learn to understand others. Make sure you know where someone’s coming from prior to “flying off the handle.”
Show you care for others by practicing active listening.
Bonus Tip: Listen to the song “I’m Not My Mind” by Brotha James and reflect on how well you manage this most important piece of your 1Life Fully Lived.
These are my thoughts on this interesting daily battle. I would love to know your thoughts on this and how you keep your emotions in check and flying in formation.
Keep “Joy” in control friends and 1Lifers! 😊
~ Tim Rhode
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” ― Lao Tzu