Pedaling in the Same Old Thinking Cycle?

 Pedaling in the Same Old Thinking Cycle?

My thinking was making me physically sick. My stomach ached for days as I let anxiety tighten its grip. I wanted to will myself to stop pedaling to get out of the same old thinking and the same old results cycle, but it wasn’t happening. The peace and comfort I sought to get me through seemed out of my reach and so I kept on pedaling.

Obviously willing myself to stop pedaling hasn’t worked. This cycle has become a habit because I have been pedaling these same old thinking and results cycles for years. Cycle routes for me include my fears (and I have A TON of them), weight loss (I have lost and found many pounds over the years!), my relationships (I am a recovering approval addict), my physical health (it’s a downhill route here) and there are many more.

How do we stop pedaling?

To stop pedaling and get out of the same old thinking and results cycle means I have to learn how to renew my mind. When my mind has been renewed, I am aware of where I have been pedaling so that I can engage in new thinking to pedal out of the old cycle.

How do we renew our minds?

In order to renew our minds we have to break the cycle of lies by replacing them with truth. Truth about who we are in Christ and who God says we are! He loves us and wants the absolute best for us!

His Word is where we find our true self as a child of God and where we learn how much God loves us.

His Word is where we learn how to stop pedaling the same old thinking and results cycle!

We are not defined by our circumstances, our culture or any other thing and it is when we begin the process of renewing our minds in the truth of scripture that we are free from what the world offers us so we can take in what God has for us!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
(1 Peter 5: 6-7)

This passage has helped me see that I cannot stop pedaling in the same old thinking and same old results cycle without humbling myself before God. That needs to be my first response. Only He can deliver me from the cycle. And…I have to learn to cast all my anxieties on Him! He can handle them ALL and I have to trust that He can! When I do that I don’t have to hold onto my anxieties, which means no more stomach aches! I can do this because He cares for me!

What else is helping me?   Coaching.

What is Coaching?

Coaching is a tool that promotes discovery for the person being coached. Coaching is not counseling, it is not mentoring or consulting. It is a relationship where a coach will use a unique skill set of asking powerful questions and actively listening so that the person being coached (who is the expert) makes movement forward to get off the cycle of the same old thinking that gives them the same old results! 

It starts with creating awareness of the stinkin’ thinkin’, which then gets you to narrow your focus on a specific area, so that you can then design an action plan that will help you stop the pedaling in the same old cycle.

How Will I know I Have Stopped Pedaling in the Same Old Cycle?

The process of renewing my mind through Christ and His Word, humbling myself and letting Him deliver me is the first step and it needs to always be the first step. Willing myself to stop pedaling has never worked!

Having a coach to help me create awareness, narrow my focus, and design an action plan gives me the tools that will help me to stop pedaling that vicious cycle.

Knowing it is an ongoing process helps me to be patient with myself so that as I focus on God’s deliverance out of the cycle, I don’t miss any part of what He is inviting me into! 

Are you pedaling in the same old thinking and results cycle?