Hey ThinkUP Friend,

Thank you so much for allowing me to openly share my story with you, the pretty, the ugly, the highs, and lows…if you missed the first 4 parts of how depression costs me my mind and almost my life—just go back and check your inbox and spam.

Yesterday, I shared with you how broke and broken I was and I ended my story with the psych ward.

So, here is what really happened. I was low.  Lower than I had ever been. I was dark. My mind and my life were pitch black. I didn’t have thoughts of dying, but I didn’t have thoughts of living either.  I was immobile. Paralyzed. Everything that I had was gone. My dreams and visions were fading away and I couldn’t “snap” out of it. Pray through it. Nor ThinkUP.  I had been down before, but never to this magnitude.

Things were different now. I had a husband and children depending on me.  Therefore, I knew that I couldn’t do anything “stupid” that would leave them in more pain, so I had to come up with another solution. Another way to escape the pain I was feeling. I visualized and even considered the notion of getting in my car and driving until I ran out of gas. But, I was way too exhausted to drive anywhere, especially if I was crafting up my run-a-way plan.  Then, I thought about purchasing a one-way ticket and flying to my dream destination but dang it, my savings was gone and my credit cards were maxed out, so that was no longer an option. Yo, I was stuck. Mentally and physically. With no way out!

The local county psychiatric hospital was an option as I knew I needed a “break”.  I needed physical sleep and mental rest so that 72-hour hold looked extremely enticing EXCEPT, I remembered my babies, I remembered my husband, I remembered how much they needed me.  I remembered my ThinkUP friends and all those who had supported me and I couldn’t fail them, but most importantly I needed me. I needed me to push past this pain, overcome this enormous obstacle and ThinkUP.   I needed to win. I needed to show depression again that I was bigger, I was stronger. So, I had to literally talk myself out of the psych ward.

I had to SPEAK what I desired.  I had to use my words to frame my reality.  I had to SPEAK the opposite of what I was thinking and feeling.  I had to tell myself a different story. I did this over and over and if I can be totally truthful with you, I am still doing this.

So, if you find yourself struggling mentally like I once was, here are a few ways to shift your thinking and regain control of your mindset.

1.    Know that you are NOT alone.  Building a business, pursuing your purpose, or chasing your dream can be lonely as well as battling your internal thoughts.  However, you are not by yourself. There are millions of people who are dealing and experiencing similar things. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness 1 in 5 individuals will experience a mental health disorder in any given year.   The important thing to remember is to seek help for feelings and things that will not go away and to get connected with others who have shared experiences.
2.    Your “Net-Worth” does NOT define your “Self-Worth”.  As humans, we frequently define and measure the success of our business based on profit and revenue goals.  When our business is doing well and those speaking engagements are chasing us down (or maybe this is just my own reality) our self-esteem skyrockets.  But, then when our phones are not ringing and business is slow our esteem may plummet. We find ourselves, questioning our abilities and even feeling depleted based on the numbers on our bank statements.

If you find yourself here, please remember your bank account does not define, predict, or determine who you are nor your future success. Money should never change the core of who you are.  And in case you forgot, fame and fortune do not buffer or safeguard you from experiencing mental health issues.

True success is far more than money in the bank or followers on social media.  It is being able to wake up day in and day out and do the ONE thing that you were put on this planet to do.

3.    Lastly, you have to ThinkUP.  ThinkingUP is a 2,000-year-old philosophy that I coined a few years ago, that reminds us that we have the power and the ability to create the future that we want in our minds first.  It’s about creating the future that you want, by shifting your thinking, taking ACTION on those thoughts, and developing healthy mental habits.

One of the most important elements in battling your mindset and mitigating negative feelings and beliefs is to simply replace those thoughts and ideas with positive ones.  Remember whatever you think about, you bring about. So, focus on what it is that you desire in life and business, create a plan to accomplish it, and work that plan every day as if your life depends on it.

In conclusion, you do not have to subscribe to the “grinding in the dark” clan or the “team no sleep” tribe to be successful.  My prescription for success and yours are simple: Follow your passion, be consistent, and enjoy the journey! Remember it is NOT the destination that makes you successful, it is who you become in the process!