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Transforming Patterns, Transcending Time (09/20/2025)
A dear friend sent me a video compilation of Brian D'Shawn Watson sharing some words of wisdom. I am not too familiar with his work, but I liked this one, so I typed it out...
Do NOT say, "I'm stressed."
Say, "My body is preparing me to rise from this challenge."
This reframes stress into energy, turning cortisol into courage.
Do NOT say, "I have to do this."
Say, "I get to do this."
This shifts the brain from pressure to gratitude, increasing motivation.
Do NOT say, "I'll try."
Say, "I commit."
"Try" signals doubt, but "commit" programs the subconscious to follow through.
Do NOT say, "I'm bad at this."
Say, "I'm still learning this."
Your brain loves growth. This rewires failure into progress.
Do NOT say, "I don't have time."
Say, "It's not my priority."
This brutal truth exposes what you truly value.
Do NOT say, "That's just who I am."
Say, "That's who I've been, but not who I must stay."
Identity is flexible. This creates mental freedom.
Do NOT say, "This always happens to me."
Say, "What can I learn from it this time?"
This stops victimhood and activates problem solving mode.
Do NOT say, "I don't know."
Say, "I don't know yet."
This adds a growth mindset, tricking the brain to search for answers.
Do NOT say, "I'm nervous."
Say, "I'm excited."
The brain cannot tell the difference. You control the framing.
Do NOT say, "It's impossible."
Say, "It hasn't been done by me yet."
This opens possibility and dissolves mental barriers.
Do NOT say, "I can't do this."
Say, "How can I do this?"
Asking questions activates problem solving circuits.
Do NOT say, "I failed."
Say, "I've discovered one way it doesn't work."
This resets failure into data.
Do NOT say, "I'm stuck."
Say, "I'm pausing to reset."
This turns paralysis into preparation, reducing anxiety.
Do NOT say, "They are lucky."
Say, "They created opportunities."
This shifts envy into responsibility and empowerment.
Do NOT say, "I wish."
Say, "I will."
"Wish" signals helplessness, "will" directs action.
Do NOT say, "I'm overwhelmed."
Say, "I'm prioritizing."
This gives the mind order instead of chaos.
Do NOT say, "This is hard."
Say, "This is stretching me."
This frames difficulty as growth, not as punishment.
Do NOT say, "I don't belong here."
Say, "I'm learning to belong here."
This destroys imposter syndrome with progression language.
Do NOT say, "Why me?"
Say, "Why not me?"
This turns suffering into strength, unlocking resilience.
Do NOT say, "I've lost everything."
Say, "Now I have the space to build better."
This transforms despair into renewal; psychology of rebirth.
As I thought about it more, I realized how much I have done this same sort of process throughout my life...
Long ago, I noticed that I would often repeat the lyrics of songs within my head. It would then play back in my mind even when I wasn't listening to it. Some of those songs would impact my thinking in very negative ways, leading to feelings of depression and other destructive habits. I started to transform the lyrics inside of my mind into something more beneficial to me, while also changing what I chose to listen to.
The same is true with the information taken in by every sense (e.g.: what we watch). The imagery might stick in the mind, influencing how we think and behave. Those influences are especially apparent when it comes to our self-image and our self-talk, our perceptions and inner dialogue.
For example, I once fell into the bad habit of saying, "I don't remember." I didn't even try, but would default into saying it whenever something didn't come immediately to mind. One day, I said to myself out of frustration, "But I do remember!" And made it a point to pause and let it come up. If nothing did, then I would purposely try to trigger the memory by thinking of other things that I might have done around the same time. Every time that I felt the inclination to say, "I don't remember" I would replace it with "I can remember", until my speech patterns started to change. This would unlock all sorts of seemingly "long-forgotten" ideas.
Eventually, after some study into Physics, it also induced several beliefs that might seem peculiar: Our memories are not stored within our brains. Instead, our brains function like antennas that draw that information out of a repository of all knowledge. It functions like a "universal background" from which all things are constantly being recalled. The brain "tunes in" to a memory by reconfiguring itself to take on a similar structure to the moment that it was formed. Generally, our bodies act like keys to access the information within our personal experiences. But it goes even further...
People often think of time as unfolding in a "causal sequence," from a series of past decisions leading up to the present moment. While that is certainly true to some extent, a few personal experiences have led me to believe that the inverse is also true, that information can travel from a potential future into our present moment. As strange as it might sound, some decisions that I've made in my past have only made logical sense if I were to assume that I was receiving information from my future self in that moment. It is as if the image that we form of our lives within the present ripples outward, repeatedly affecting both our past and future simultaneously until we converge on it and it becomes our experience.
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