“Have you ever tried to get rid of ants?” was the question posed to a group of knuckleheads, including your ol’ fart scribe. “You have no idea where they’re coming from and have to poison the source.”
The statement made me think of a lesson embedded deeply into my brain. It comes from knowledge learned long ago while earning a master’s degree from the University of Missouri’s famed School of Journalism, “Don’t state the obvious.”
You want to kill ants? It’s simple, find the source. Apparently, when dealing with the pesky insects, blasting away with a spray can of toxin isn’t real productive. “You have to find the queen and where she’s hanging out.” Well, it might take a simple dude from Missouri 58 years to figure some things out, but what the heck, better late than never, right?
Want to kill ants? Go to the source. How about this? What if we substituted “ants” with an acronym of the same? How do we kill ANTS? Otherwise known as, “Automatic Negative ThoughtS?”
Ever been there? Sure we have. We have moments where automatic negative thoughts threaten to hijack our well being. I am battling some now with a family situation leaving me fretting about whether relational bridges will be strengthened or damagedAs our leader suggested, “Our brains create our reality.” When talking about ANTS, the fitness fanatic offered, “It’s not what happens to our lives that determines our feelings. It’s how our brain perceives it.” I must admit, for LeRoy Matticks, an equally simple dude from Nebraska, that was profound. The spiritual warrior is smarter than he looks.
With nine guys gathered around a table, Matticks shared thoughts about killing ANTS, or automatic negative thoughts. Here’s a handful of takeaways.
- Do not believe every first thought that appears in our craniums
- Thoughts are powerful. Feed thy brain positive food
- Realize, and accept, thoughts can lie to us
- Expect success - faith is the vital ingredient
- Tell our brains what we want and visualize it, often.
Too often in life it seems we try and kill ANTS in unhealthy fashion with an over indulgence in fear and self-doubt. Sadly, that disastrous duo usually leads to seeking solace in a bottle, pill, pipe, affair, career, Internet porn, poor eating habits, lack of exercise or whatever else seems plausible, or not. The bottom line is we’re wounded and vulnerable in an attempt to eradicate whatever at the time plagues our world. In short, life sucks.
The venues may change but the strategies should not. Want to get rid of ANTS? Find the source. It’s usually rooted in our “stinkin' thinkin'.” We all have ant issues. The million-dollar question will always be, “What are we going to do about them?”
How about poisoning their food supply with wholesome, always available and environmentally friendly bug spray? Let’s tell our brains what we want and then have our behavior match that desire.
We become what we think about!
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