I Want A Do Over!

Do you remember when you were young, made a mistake in a game and asked for “do overs?” That’s what it felt like when I recently listened to an interview I had on The Author’s Show, http://www.theauthorsshow.com/

I knew this particular interview had a broader audience than my past interviews and I was both excited and nervous about it. My apprehension was because the interview was scheduled when I would be camping in Port Townsend, WA. I didn’t want to delay the interview any longer as the September 2010 airing would coincide nicely with the release of the paperback version of my book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. The catch was I had to do the interview on a land line, not my cell phone.

There was a pay phone near our camping site on Point Hudson Marina. I scoped the phone out. It worked. Not an easy feat these days. You try finding a working pay phone. However, it was noisy at the harbor. The search continued. I called the library and a very helpful librarian suggested I use the pay phone in front of their historic building. The interview was to take place on a weekday morning and she thought everything would work out fine.

The next day I cheerfully walked to the library, pulled out my trusty calling card and began the interview. A woman approached the library entrance with her puppy while the interview was in progress. She attempted to tie the dog to a bike rack and go inside for a few minutes. The poor pup had separation anxiety and whined and cried and barked. This was happening a few feet from where I was recording over the phone. Then a noisy truck rumbled past, followed by three very loud, friendly women who were having some sort of reunion.

I was getting anxious. My dream is to be a summer resident of Port Townsend one day and I did not relish the idea of asking the whiny dog’s owner and the chatty women to relocate to another area. Of course I had no control over the trucks rumbling past. “I thought this was a quiet town?” I thought to myself. “No,” I recalled, “It’s a friendly town. And these folks are just going about their day. You are the intruder here.”

Anyway, I did talk to the woman with the pup and she graciously stayed with the pooch until after my interview was through. I believe there is only one time when you can hear the little dog whine.

Which leads me to my point. Through the magic of editing, this interview sounds excellent. Most of the noise was edited out, the volume of my voice and that of the interviewer’s are clear, have matching volume, and everything flowed nicely.

It made me think of my childhood requests of “do overs.”

In real life we cannot edit our mistakes and pretend all is well. However, we can examine our thoughts, speech and actions and learn to recognize where negativity has set in, then make steps to replace the undesirable acts with positive ones.

No one is born negative. It is a learned response. Erase Negativity takes the viewpoint that if negativity is learned, than erasing it and replacing it with a constructive and affirmative life pattern can be learned as well.

So while we can’t exactly have a “do over” we can implement a little editing in our lives. In the interview I outline three simple steps toward erasing negativity.

• Recognize there is a problem. It is estimated human beings have 40,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day and 95% of them are negative.
• Try replacing negative thoughts with positive affirmations or determinations. Instead of saying “I must lose weight,” or “I’m too fat” say “I chose health and vitality.” Soon your brain will get the message and you will be open to new, healthier patterns you can adopt into action.
• Smile. Yes, it sounds corny, but it works. Practice smiling in front of a mirror for one minute, even (and especially) if you are not feeling happy. The good news is the irony of smiling when you’re upset can be so absurd that you may actually laugh. I know it works for me.

So why not try a little rebroadcasting of your life. Edit those negative thoughts, speech and actions and create a whole, new happier way to live.