I'm often asked to help others change their Mood. In working with many of these individuals, I have found the common issue of looking outside oneself for change to be a primary obstacle.
I sometimes think, "Wouldn't it be nice to have control over everything around us that upsets us?"
But I am quickly drawn back to reality. We have very little control over anything outside of our own Thoughts and Desires.
What do you make of this statement?
"He makes me so mad!"
We hear statements like this all the time. The problem with these types of thoughts is that when we start down that line of thinking, we are giving control over our Mood to someone, or something outside of ourselves. The irony here is that we are typically giving to someone, or something, that we are very upset with. Think about that for a moment:)
In order to change our Mood, we must first understand that we have control over our Mood. Our thoughts and perceptions significantly impact our Mood. We have control over our thoughts and perceptions. They are ours.
I sometimes use the analogy of a Remote Control. I discourage people from giving the Remote that controls their Mood to someone, or something they are upset with. Take the Remote back and change the channel yourself.
This principle also applies to helping others. We are only able to help others change their Mood as much as they are willing to change it themselves.
Our goal is to try and have our Mood Match the Event with regard to intensity and duration. One way to think about this is to ask yourself, "If 1000 people experienced what I just experienced, what would the average response be?"
Hopefully we are all helping the young people around us learn this important concept and striving to practice this in our own lives.
The Challenge Software Program is a web-based program that utilizes animated scenarios to engage children quickly and teach them this principles. Visit http://www.cpschallenge.com/ for more information.
Brad Chapin
