Tell Your Ghosts to Shut Up

We all have a "ghost" that sits on our shoulder and whispers in our ear all kinds of negative thoughts. Yes the ghost is your not-so-funny personal pathological bearer of impossibility thinking. The ghost is intensely competitive and is campaigning daily for your head space. The ghost is your personal critic who has only one pervasive goal:

"I am here to destroy your state of mind and convince you that you aren't worthy of the peace of mind, happiness, or success you so deeply desire." — Your Ghost

Here are the primary ghost facts you need to be aware of every day. You need to always remember these facts could truly be the disruption of a life well-planned. Don't let that be your story.

Ghost Fact 1: The ghost does not have any bills to pay and could care less if you win or not. In fact, the ghost is hoping you don't win.

Ghost Fact 2: The ghost requires no sleep and is available 24 hours a day to facilitate your negative thoughts if granted access to your head space.

Ghost Fact 3: The ghost is well versed in creating self-doubt and is a destroyer of self-confidence and self-worth.

Ghost Fact 4: The ghost is always hungry, and if you choose to feed the ghost by thinking negatively, your ghost will get bigger and more powerful in your own mind.

Ghost Fact 5: The ghost is easily activated by the way you respond to setbacks and disappointments and stands ready to help you beat yourself up.

Ghost Fact 6: The ghost is built and designed to encourage you to make decisions that are unhealthy for your life.

Ghost Fact 7: The ghost is highly energized by your bad moments and is always in attack mode.

Ghost Fact 8: The ghost has a sense of humor only activated by your misery.

Ghost Fact 9: The ghost loves negative conversations and will always be there to facilitate and provide you even more negative thoughts if you are willing to listen.

Ghost Fact 10: The ghost has a long history of success in distracting, delaying, and denying people access to their most important goals and dreams.

The Ghost Has Something to Say

A typical conversation with your ghost:

The Ghost: "Hey, just have one more drink. Come on, you'll feel great."
Your Common Sense: "Hey ghost, I have had enough - I need to drive home."
Your Friends: "Come on, just one more, buddy."
The Ghost: "See, they agree with me! Man up. One more won't kill you."
Common Sense: "Don't listen. You have had enough."
The Ghost: "You have done it before. You can always pull over if you need to - let's do this man."

The battle rages until you either give in to your ghost or you take control of your thoughts and silence the ghost.

A Message for You:

"We all have negative thoughts we try to block out. Why do you think I carry a medieval shield and wear tinfoil?"

~ Jarod Kintz, Whenever You're Gone, I'm Here for You

Ghost-Crushing Plan

1. Feed the ghost the one thing it hates and can't digest: positive affirmations and optimistic thoughts.

2. Interrupt any conversation as soon as the ghost gets in your ear with a resounding "Not today, ghost!" mantra.

3. Read positive information every morning, and this will plant positive seeds that annoy your ghost and force the ghost to run for cover.

4. Review your list of what you have to be thankful for each day, and this positive information intake again drives the ghost away.

5. When the ghost comes out to play with your mind, you have to kill the ghost while he is little.

6. Do not participate in negative conversations with others because this creates a ghost party environment.

7. Review your goals every day and resolve yourself to execute because the ghost can't handle a goal-directed person.

8. Under no circumstances do you self-criticize or have a personal pity party about a setback or disappointment because this puts your ghost on hyper alert. Don't help the critic by becoming the critic yourself.

9. Repeat the ghost-busting mantra daily: "I will not entertain the ghost or listen to the criticism or judgment of who I am or of what I am capable of accomplishing."

10. Last but not least, in very simple terms, get angry and tell the ghost to "Shut Up!"

In closing, here are a couple of quotes to tie the ghost up in a nice bow. Have you figured it out yet? You are the parent of your ghost, and only what you plant in your mind, can come back to you as a thought or feeling.

"It would be easy to become a victim of our circumstances and continue feeling sad, scared, or angry; or instead, we could choose to deal with injustice humanely and break the chains of negative thoughts and energies, and not let ourselves sink into it."

~ Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary

"Choices! Choices!! Choices!!! I have chosen love over hate. I have chosen faith over fears. I have chosen courage over cowardice. I have chosen strength over weakness. I have chosen positive thinking over negative thoughts."

~ Lailah Gifty Akita from Think Great: Be Great!

I hope you have enjoyed this explanation of the ghost and how you can greatly diminish and then completely remove this negative critic of your own creation. Go be a Ghost Buster!

Make a difference today.

Remember, It All Matters,

— Paul

About the author: For over 30 years, Paul Cummings has taught dynamic life changing strategies on sales, customer service, communication, building a better business, and leadership. Millions have had the opportunity to learn what it means to live and work at Level 10.