FUTILITY THOUGHT DEMON: HOW LOW CAN YOU GO AND HOW HIGH CAN YOU SOAR: SECRETS OF SELF-LOVE

Love University with Dr. Alexander Avila

Have you ever felt down and out—sad, depressed, and feeling like nothing seems to work? If so, you may have been under the influence of the Futility Thought Demon—the critical thought voice that tells you that you’re a failure and nothing will ever change. Now there’s a way to conquer the Futility Thought Demon and soar on the wings of self-love. Here are the secrets of emotional freedom we learned on the Love University Podcast:

*Ask yourself: “was I connected to my joy today?” Before you go to bed each night, reflect on the things that brought you joy during the day, perhaps, meditating or praying, communicating with loved ones, or enjoying some time outside in nature. Also, take note of the time you wasted on non-productive activities such as partaking in excessive social media or absorbing negative news. Strive each day to do the things you love, and you will elevate your mind and soul.

*Do the difficult things first. Make sure you handle the most important and emotionally challenging tasks at the beginning of your day. Make that difficult call, have an important discussion, do a crucial business task. When you get the difficult out of the way first, the rest of the day is easier, and you feel more confident and motivated.

*Access the power of positive habit. Every movement and thought requires energy. To improve your success and inner power, you need to build up positive habits and decrease negative habits. You can do this by managing the energy you expend in daily activities. For example, if you watch too much TV, you can move the TV remote to another part of the house so you have to walk to get it (spend energy). If you want to read more, put a book next to your couch in the living room to make it easier for you to access it. By doing these small actions, you restructure your mental patterns and accentuate positive activities that can help you build a better life.

*Give love without expectation. This is one of the most powerful secrets for vanquishing the Futility Thought Demon. Give kindness, appreciation, respect, and love to others—even to strangers. Smile, say “hi,” offer sincere compliments. Get to know other people in a deeper way; ask them questions about their dreams and values. Listen empathetically. When you do this, you not only help others, but you lift your mood from gloomy “poor me” to hopeful and loving “united we.” You see all people as part of you, and you as part of them—helping, loving, and growing.

Yes, you can defeat the gloomy and self-attacking thoughts in your head, the Futility Thought Demons of your mind. You can do this by being committed to your joy, doing the difficult thing first, accessing the power of positive habit, and loving without expectation. By doing these things, you will evaporate futility from your mind and bring love, joy, and good cheer into every ounce of your being.