Strengthening Your Sixth Sense

It's easy to get swept up in the whirlwind of daily life and hyper-focusing on the actions of those around us.

We've all experienced those moments when someone cuts us off in traffic or acts inconsiderately. Recently I had a realization about this, and it might resonate with you too.

While going about my day, I noticed how often my mind was preoccupied with the behaviors of others. It makes sense, right? My five incredible senses are constantly at work, feeding me information about the world.

I see the dirty socks my kids leave scattered, hear the bickering, smell the forgotten towels in the washer, taste my 12-year-old's overly salted eggs, and feel the sharp Legos underfoot. And that’s just three minutes of my morning!

Though my senses are certainly doing their job, I realized that if I'm not careful, my thoughts can easily spiral into anger, judgment, and frustration, tinged with a bit of self-pity.

The key, I discovered, is to cultivate a sixth sense: self-awareness.

This sense helps me recognize that my THOUGHTS are the root of my frustration and judgment—and importantly, these thoughts are optional.

Those same socks, voices, eggs, towels, and Legos can become sources of gratitude if I choose intentional thoughts.

The truth is I'm actually really grateful for those kids who leave their dirty socks and Legos out and who are learning to cook and get along with their siblings. 

Although it's human nature for our initial reaction to be an unfiltered response to sensory input, magic happens when we hone into our sixth sense.

How amazing is it that we have the power to observe how these inputs influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions?

Feeling angry and frustrated is never the result of anyone else's behavior; it's a choice WE make.

Isn't that the best news ever?! 

Our interpretations of the world around us are always our choice and within our control.

That means I don't have to wait for my kids to put their socks and Legos away before I can be happy. I can just choose more useful thoughts!

Despite the constant flood of input from our five senses, our sixth sense of self-awareness can truly be our greatest asset in feeling more peaceful and empowered every day.

I'm so excited to continue to strengthen my sixth sense! And I invite you to join me.