Most of us are in “NO” mode right now.  NO more sugar,  NO more spending, NO more couch potato.  This obsessive “NO-ing” can get the year off  to a very negative start, doncha think?  It also propels the dizzying spin cyle of highs and lows that can render us ineffective and feeling stuck in our lives, the rest of the year.

So hang on to your hat.  I am about to share a huge secret about a game I created.  I use it to run my life and get things done when I feel stuck.   Or, when I start that snarky inner self talk, I play the game  to reframe my thoughts and it chanages my energy into positive  positioning  almost immediately. 

Sometimes playing this little game makes me laugh out loud, even when I am all by myself.  Not only does it snap me into something positive, but it gives me a tiny little surge of delicious rebellion at the world in general, because I am taking what seems to be conventional terms in our culture and turning them on their heads, using them for my very own pleasure.  A little voice says “HA-HA!!,  See there—you AREN’T the boss of me, afterall.!!” 

O.K., so call me crazy….but if you believe that words have powerful energy, then you will be with me on this game. It begins with what I call—renovating words—- like using KNOW instead of NO, for example.

The way to use this is to convert your NO into what you KNOW—sounds the same to your brain but one is positive and the other isn’t.  One energizes, the other doesn’t.  Here’s how it works:

“NO more couch potato”.  That’s usually how we talk to ourselves.  But, what if you were to turn that into…. ”What I “KNOW” is this—getting up and moving every day will make me feel and look so much better”.  

See what I mean?  If you say these two things out loud, you will really see what I mean, as far as what it does to your energy.  You will go from power-less to power-full in a heart beat.

The other part of the game is about renovating acronyms.  The ones we use all the time.  When you renovate/reframe them to fit your life,  they will become inner reminders of something positive that you have creatively customized for your very own self.  They can propel us into positive perspective and action.

Let me show you what I mean…..here’s what I do.  Please feel free to use these examples for yourself until you get the hang of this—then watch what happens.  You will start seeing so many things differently.  Rather than shutting the world out, you will find yourself drawing it all in because you are creating the world around you on a new inner canvas.

Here goes.

1.  CPR.  Usually this means cardio pulmonary resuscitation—used in times of distress to save a life. Maybe it could become a metaphor and a reminder for us, especially in challenging times.

C–becomes CHOICE.  No matter what the circumstances, we have a choice. A powerful reminder of the truth of every single day.  Then, there’s PR—which becomes PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

So now, when I hear CPR—I think, “I always have a CHOICE and it is my PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to run my own life. The buck, starts and stops, with me.  CPR.

2.  CIA.  Usually mean Central Intelligiance Agency.  It is all about a world of activity that the rest of us are not privvy to.  A lot of it  is considered negative and covert, sabotaging efforts.  Can you see the metaphor that could apply to ourselves?  Ever have your own self-sabotaging thoughts that the rest of us will never know about?  Time to turn this one on its ear and use it for our positive reminders.

CIA–becomes Compassion In Action—-for ourselves and others.  When the inner critic starts that sabotaging message, remember, CIA, and silence that voice with with love and compassion, for yourself and those people you find challenging.  It could also mean…Courage In Action.

3.  DNA.  As we know, this stands for our basic genetic underpinnings, collected into strands of cells and molecules that become US, for God’s sake.  It is our life force and our creativty and our unique talents and gifts and challenges, all rolled into one living breathing soul.  That combination also sparks our dreams—-DNA—Dreams Need  Action.

Is there something you are dreaming about?  Take action.  Any action.  Any small step that will keep your dream alive.  It will keep you from being discouraged.  One small step can be a phone call or checking out a website that may give you information. 

Start Now.

See what I mean? Nothing like using the metaphor to its greatest benefit to reframe and renovate the words and terms that come whizzing through our daily lives.

Since there is one on every corner—ask me what I do to reframe STARBUCKS!  Or every time, I pass a GAP store.  That’s a really good one.

Like I said, call me crazy but this games works.  I use it every day.  Go off on your own thought walk this year—-use the things right in front of you to bloom and boom into the person you were meant to be.

Is it time for your “KNOW-KNOWS” to become a great big “YES”?