Make the Decision - Then Collect the Evidence in Your Story

I've been listening to David Bayer's A Changed Mind, and I may have accidentally become obsessed – with his podcast too.

The biggest lightbulb for me wasn't some magical manifestation hack. It was this: our beliefs are simply decisions we've made. At some point in our lives, we decided we weren't enough. Or money was hard. Or life had to be a struggle. Or everyone else had it figured out except us. Then, because our brains are ridiculously loyal assistants, they spent years collecting evidence to prove we were right. "See? I told you." They're basically tiny, annoying lawyers arguing the same case over and over.

But what if we fired that lawyer?

What if today we made a different decision? I matter. People care about me. I'm healthy. My family loves me.  I'm becoming stronger every day. I always have enough. I create opportunities. My life is full of amazing people. I'm capable of doing kick-ass things. According to Bayer, when you make a new decision, your brain immediately begins looking for evidence that it's true. Your reticular activating system (RAS) starts filtering reality differently. It isn't that your world suddenly changes overnight...it's that you finally start noticing what was there all along.

I've been trying it this week, and honestly, it's kind of spooky. I decided people care about me. Suddenly I noticed the friend who checked in, the text I almost ignored, the client who thanked me, my family wanting to celebrate me. I decided I'm capable. Then I remembered losing a bunch of weight, getting sober, starting businesses, raising kids, riding bikes farther than my younger self ever dreamed possible. Funny...none of that evidence was new. I had simply stopped looking for it because my old story was louder. 

So here's your challenge. Stop collecting evidence for the life you don't want. Make one big decision about who you are today. Then collect evidence – you know you love that 😊. Find five moments every day that prove your new decision is true. Because life is always going to be "life-ing." There will always be challenges, bills, difficult people, wrinkles, and a full laundry basket. But there will also always be beauty, kindness, possibility, laughter, and miracles hiding in plain sight. The question isn't whether the evidence exists. The question is: which evidence have you decided to collect?

- Kim