Heal Like a Pro.

Think like a pro.

Not an amateur.

Amateurs take success and failure personally.

Pros separate the work from the ego.

Amateurs stop when things get hard.

Pros show up even when they don't feel like it.

I came across this concept in a podcast titled: How to Overcome Inner Resistance. (Linked here. I recommend the whole thing, but if you want the short of it start at time stamp 1:44)

I love this concept – that the only thing stopping me from becoming a professional is my mindset. I can apply it to anything. Writing a book. Waking up early to walk. And for the point of this post, healing.

I recently had some intrusive thoughts. I won't go into what they were, but think – "Oh hey, maybe you should swerve off the side of the road and crash your car."

Obviously, a bad idea.

Obviously, I do not want this.

And yet my intrusive thoughts slink in on multiple occasions.

I could take these thoughts personally. I could think I'm a terrible person for thinking such things. Do I have a death wish or something? But I know I don't. I know these intrusive thoughts are not a reflection of who I am but rather a strange coping mechanism from my past. They are just what they are. Thoughts. Nothing more. Nothing less.

So in the moment when these thoughts came up, I reassured myself that I'm safe. I told myself that I don't always have control over my thoughts, and that's okay. But, I will take care of myself. And I'll reassure myself again and again if I need to. Because that's what a pro does.