We’ve all had experiences of conflict with someone in our inner circle, experiences that improved greatly with some combination of compassion, surrender and forgiveness—solutions we may have read about in self-help books.

While those solutions may have worked wonders for that one situation, that conflict was eventually replaced by one with someone else. And this cycle continues ad nauseam.

The answer to stopping this cycle likely lies in finding a way to look at every situation differently from the beginning—I call this preventative peace of mind protection. It may take the discipline of an Olympic athlete to pull it off, but it’s a goal worth pursuing, nonetheless.

Olympians often mention the importance of a mental component to their training. Thoughts are that tool—always in our possession—allowing us to bridge the gap between how things appear to be and how they could be.

An Olympian mindset means we believe transformation can happen now.

Assuming that body-focused Olympians use inner dialog such as, “I am the greatest,” us spirit seekers (those reaching beyond the body) can adopt the same mantra. The only difference would be that the “I” in “I am the greatest” would include everyone. Most spiritual paths reach the conclusion that thoughts of oneness connect us to our higher selves.

Affecting change is actually easier than it sounds—if we collectively join our minds together, that means any part can affect the whole. Similar to athletic training, repetition is the key. Instead of push-ups, it requires “think-ups,” which are simply uncompromising thoughts of oneness.

Using the Olympic Medal System, we can also apply three layers to our thought awareness.

The Bronze Medal Podium 

This is the recognition that our thoughts are public record, not private.

I remember when I first shared that I was studying psychology in college. I was shocked when some of the most well-adjusted people seemed terrified that I would now have access to their personal darkness that they were determined to keep hidden.

Thought sharing is communicated primarily by what we demonstrate out in the world, rather than what we say to others or even ourselves. If this invokes uneasiness that our privacy has been invaded, we need a little more time. If we no longer feel that we have hidden thoughts in need of protection, we are on our way. Doesn’t it seem like the world (that receptacle for our own unclaimed thoughts) is no longer successful in keeping fears hidden? What an incredible opportunity for healing!

The Silver Medal Podium

This is the acknowledgement that our thoughts are communal, not unique. THEY AREN’T?

This way of thinking can be a source of relief when we are able to give up that competitive, often life-long struggle, to discover and demonstrate all the ways in which we are different (often better). Or it can cause tremendous anxiety—how do we define ourselves, if not through our differences? Again, with our thoughts of oneness, nothing could exist outside of what we already share equally.

I remember thinking that adding “Dr.” to the front of my name would somehow allow me to hover above and absolve me from chaos. It only brought out even more intense fears of being a fraud or failure.

Again, looking deeply is our first step. If we’re not aware of what we put in place with our thoughts for ourselves and the world, how can we clarify our choice to think another way? Separately, we are nothing worth mentioning, but together, we are everything.

The Gold Medal Podium

This is the realization that our thoughts are purposeful, not neutral.

We are certainly able to pretend to be many things, but powerless could never be one of them. Every thought we have is either a cheer for “Team Fear,” which quickly boomerangs back and is received as a personal jeer. Or, it’s a call for “Team Love,” which is automatically received as love, and serves to permanently unify, instead of serving to destroy, through division.

Essentially, we all have the potential to be gold medalists in the Olympic games of life—which, I’m the first to admit, sounds like a bunch of crap! Wouldn’t that be the equivalent of taking something meaningful, and making it meaningless? Maybe that’s exactly what we do whenever we favor our infinite number of separate goals at the expense of remembering our shared goal of perfect and permanent peace.

I’d like to give a shout-out to my personal spiritual coach, “A Course in Miracles,” (one of many highly qualified coaches) which states that if my peace doesn’t include everyone, then it’s not peace at all.

Even though the Olympic Games are about as fiercely competitive as we can get, we hear people mention the spirit of the games as one of unity. This is a choice we continually make, and one we can learn to consistently make well.

Rather than passing the torch when it comes to you, keep it and use it with the following affirmation: “My thoughts of oneness change the world I see.”

 

 

Author: Dana Marrocco, Ph.D

Image: skeeze/Pixabay

Apprentice Editor: Julie Balsiger; Editor: Nicole Cameron