To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
We become what we think – an adage that we have all heard and read time and again in our lives, but very few of us have really understood the truth in those words. Your thoughts can change your life. They are your weapon against EVERYTHING the world throws at you. Whatever you feed your mind will dominate your thoughts, and therefore your life.
I have internalised this.
I am extremely imaginative. Everything leaves an impact on me. If I watch movies that end tragically, I turn into a sobbing, pathetic mess. I can’t help but think that someone somewhere could have gone through what was shown in the movie, and then I am crying for those nameless, faceless strangers. The crying triggers my migraine and then, I am curled up into a tiny ball in some dark, silent corner hoping for a quick death. Now with that fun picture in your head, let’s move on. The only way for me to get through a day, and life really, is to control what I consume.
Just as I try to limit the amount of pizza I eat, I try to limit the amount of ‘not-so-happy’ content, be it TV, music or internet, that goes into my system.
The weekend before last, I watched two seasons of Teen Wolf, which means I was walking around all dark and grim. I had a nightmare with creepy, crawly creatures in the starring role, and I woke up disturbed and restless. Obviously, my Monday didn’t go well and my Mondays always go well. It is my favourite day of the week.
So, when my Monday sucked, I went into a self-recriminatory mode. To make up for the weekend-long mental abuse, I indulged in some TLC with some very happy videos. Inspiration struck, and I decided to write this post.
I wanted to share with you all my favourite online and TV content. I can watch/read this stuff on a loop and it just adds to my energy.
It’s not a very long list but it’s a good one, I promise.
I stumbled across these by accident, but I watched one interview and I was hooked.
Every interview is so powerful that it will have you reeling by the end of it. Tom Bilyeu interviews famous people who were once completely ordinary, unknown, and in danger of letting their talents die in a haze of anonymity.
At least that’s how I have come to understand it because all the interviewees have one thing in common – they all hit rock bottom and somehow found the strength to completely turn their life around.
Listening to their stories will light a fire inside you. You WILL find the strength to fight for your goals.
Related: 7 ways to overcome fear & pursue your dreams
They’ll give you the courage to stand steady in the face of judgment and criticism. If you feel hopeless or scared, these episodes are a must watch for you. A little something from Lisa Nichols’ interview-
…that day I was willing to completely die to any form of me that I had been so that I could birth the woman that I was becoming…
Lisa Nichols’ interview will blow your mind, and by the end of it, if you are not putting your resources – financial, emotional, physical – to good use, you’ll be actually ashamed of yourself. There’s more where that came from so if you want to binge watch something, this is it.
Tom Bilyeu’s interviews are impactful to the extent that they’ll make you want to get up and do 10 years worth of work in one day while Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday interviews are restful. They’ll give you something to think about and they’ll soothe away the wounds and the hurts you’ve been nursing.
Oprah needs no introduction. She is a master at the art of interviewing so, you know that she’ll engage your interest in no time.
Every one of these interviews is about creating a healthier soul, and a mind that is actively helping you be the best version of yourself.
Failure isn't the end of the road. It is a big red flag saying to you, 'Wrong way. Turn around.'
Just browse for quotes from the Super Soul conversations, and you’ll want to know the whole conversation that led up to it.
A series of youtube videos with dogs in a starring role.
I know there are a lot of animal videos on youtube, but Super Cooper Sunday is definitely my favourite. Koda and Cooper (the dogs in the videos) are adorable obviously, but they are completely different from one another.
Cooper is all wired, high energy golden retriever while Koda is a calm (oftentimes described as lazy) guard dog. Their videos are hilarious!
Trevor, the dog owner in the videos, is personable and funny and so is his girlfriend. They are always coming up with crazy, fun ideas for the videos that are very entertaining to watch.
Together the four of them look like such a happy family that just looking at them will make you feel good.
This is a no-brainer. Talk shows are on everybody’s go-to list for entertainment, but the reason I specifically recommend these two is their style of humour.
I love Conan O’Brien because his humour is more self-deprecating than anything. He is intelligent and witty, and his typical style doesn’t include making fun of others. I don’t enjoy roasts too much because I am torn between laughing and feeling concern for the person being roasted.
Nobody is ever completely okay with being mocked. So, I avoid comedy that is at the expense of someone else.
Ellen Degeneres is everyone’s favourite talk-show host. She gives away stuff to people who need it, and she shares inspiring stories from the lives of ordinary people.
What’s not to love!? She also has a very gentle humour interwoven into the conversations with her guests.
These shows are easy, fun watch. I prefer watching them right before bed so that I go to sleep with a smile and wake up happy and refreshed.
Everyone’s favourite TV show! I can’t recall a single scene that didn’t send me into splits of laughter. I have seen each and every episode at least 50 times, and somehow it still makes me laugh.
When I have the least incentive to workout, I put on Friends episodes and do it anyways. If you haven’t already seen the show, you must do it now with a heavy emphasis on the must!!
It is definitely something to watch on the days you get your metaphorical ass kicked.
There are Youtube videos and podcasts of the Sermons.
Joel Osteen is so forcefully positive that you don’t have to be a religious person to draw power from his words.
If you have a storm of anguish or pain raging inside you, listening to him can give you a few moments of peace and calm.
He is charismatic and so firm in his beliefs that he will sway you with his words and convince you to let go of all that is holding you back.
Put aside the whole religious bit of it, and just listen to what he has to say and I promise you that every word will resonate with you.
We have enough in life against us already, don't be against yourself.
Watching cartoons improves our cognitive abilities. Yes, I made that up, but do it anyways. Cartoons are the least complicated source of fun.
I love everything on this list, but they will all leave you with things to process, but not Baby Loony tunes!
They are just pure, unadulterated fun! My Sunday breakfast is always accompanied by some Tweety and Sylvester banter, Taz’s insanity, or Daffy’s adorable accent.
We need to watch content like this to hold onto the innocence the world is so desperately trying to take away from us.
You may be strong than me, able to watch all kinds of gore without letting it affect your mood, but I can bet anything that while you may not be overly impacted by what you’re watching or reading, it’s definitely, in some subtle way or the other, impacting your emotions.
If you don’t believe me, you can conduct your own experiment. Consume happy content for a week, and you’ll see a change in yourself. The world is morphing into something ugly and unrecognisable.
The only way to protect yourself is to build an unshakeable sense of calm inside your mind.
When everything goes to hell, you should be able to disconnect from the world outside and retreat into the warm, safe space inside your own head.
So, do yourself a favour and feed your mind all things good and wonderful. Avoid content that sucks the happy right out of you. Share in the comments section if you liked the list or if you have any good suggestions of your own to add to the list.
I know what it’s like to fall apart and gradually put your pieces back together to build something better than what you had before and I share all my lessons in this space hoping that you will share my learnings without the struggle.
Find out what makes you, YOU. Take the leap, embrace your strengths, understand your struggles, and start your journey to emotional mastery today. It’s not just a quiz, it’s the beginning of a personal revolution.
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As someone who has been on very friendly terms with that pesky imp called, ‘rock bottom’ – I know and understand its soul destroying tendencies and how best to learn from it so that you can leave it behind and live a life that you can be proud of even on your worst days…that’s the kind of content I share around this corner.
We talk about anything and everything that can impact your self-improvement goals, relationships, as well as mental and emotional health.
I’m an empowerment coach, podcaster, a daughter, massive superhero nerd, and a woman with a passion for transformation that translates to enduring health, happiness, and success. I am thrilled that you’re here, and I look forward to connecting with you.
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