What will you use?
Every year I go to the mountains in Golden Colorado area to visit my friend, Orvel Ray Wilson, get coached, and hike in one of the most beautiful places on earth. For any of you who have spent time in the mountains or forests you are aware of an area in middle of this breath taking beauty are areas cleared of all vegetation and deadwood, they are called firebreaks.
Some firebreaks are natural, like rivers or canyons. Many are man-made and these tend to be less attractive but necessary to prevent, or at least slow the spread of fire which can destroy much or all of the natural beauty of an area.
In your life fear, doubt and negativity can spread like a wild fire. What will you use to prevent that spread? The forest department has two types of man-made firebreaks, permanent and temporary. The permanent firebreaks are made when all is calm and there is no fire, they allow advanced planning and better use of resources. Temporary firebreaks are usually built after the fire has started and they are used to slow the advance of the devastation.
You need both types of firebreaks in your life. Here are a few ideas for permanent and temporary firebreaks to slow or stop unwanted emotions.
Permanent (daily building in the times of calm):
Reading good books, daily affirmations, daily prayer/bible reading, being in a master-mind group, stop watching the news, taking action, writing in a gratitude journal. Anything that daily builds a barrier between your goals and negativity.
Temporary (for those times of over-whelm when fear and negativity are ruling the day):
Calling a mentor, having a friend on speed dial who knows in advance you may call, earnest prayer, reading your gratitude journal, thinking about past successes.
Bottom line is this; don’t wait until you need them to plan them. Start building your permanent firebreaks today and have a plan for who you can turn to and what you will do in challenging times so that you will already know what steps to take to extinguish the flames of negativity.