Emotions are one of the most powerful, challenging aspects of our lives. As such, so many people believe that they need to control their emotions.

So I want to take a second to remind you:

• You are a beautiful human being full of promise, potential, and light.
• Just because you have a full range of emotions, you are not crazy and you are not a disaster. You are only human. It is okay to feel your emotions and deal with them as you need to.

But here’s the kicker: You don’t need to control your emotions. What you need to control your reactions to them. Because your emotions become your beliefs, and your beliefs become your words. Then, your words become your actions. And guess what? Your actions determine how you relate with others and yourself.

For example, do you have a habit of getting angry and snapping? Does something set you off and before you know it you’re snapping at your friends, family, or co-workers?

That’s not good to begin with, but what’s worse is what comes after. Do you sit in a puddle of your own emotions, worried that you ruin everything you touch? Do you start thinking that you’re terrible at life? That you’ll never get out of your way to live a life you love?

NONE of that is true. Those thoughts are beliefs that you are holding inside of you based on your emotional reactions and habits. And that is a cold, hard, fear-based belief that is RIPPING YOU APART.

But I have some great news for you: You have the power to choose again!

You have the power to climb out of that sewage pit and crush those old beliefs into pieces. You can live your designed truth — a truth that EMPOWERS you and brings you back to life.

Can you see that? Are you excited for it?

I wanted to share a little exercise to get you started.

Write down 10 sentences about YOU when you are experiencing the emotion you want to control.

This is 10 beliefs you have about yourself when you are angry, sad, etc.

For example, “When I am angry, I…”

You’ve got this.

Now, I want you to flip the thought.

For example, let’s say you wrote “When I am angry, I’m a jerk and I don’t care about anything.” You would turn that sentence into “You right… I am a jerk when I’m angry, but I do care about fixing this situation that I am in.”

Start every statement with “You right….” Why? Because you are going to change your thought habits by debating with yourself and going to bat for the REAL YOU. If your old thought was in a debate against you, how would you sway your audience to your side?

Do you see how your perception changes based on what you choose to focus on?

The truth is that you’ve already set the intention and goal to become your authentic self. You are learning, growing, and practicing to exercise your power to choose differently. It means you are brave enough to face what currently is so that you can change. That in itself deserves self-grace and self-love.

We’d love to hear what pops up for you when you do this exercise.