Troll Brain (noun): A condition where you think stupid, ugly or dangerous thoughts that stop you from living your best life.
Maybe you’ve heard the terms “Lizard Brain” or “Stinkin’ Thinkin” used in books you’ve read. I have always used the term “Troll Brain” because of my Scandinavian heritage. You see, trolls are common in myths and folklore and are generally stupid, ugly and dangerous. They even turn into stone in sunlight!
So exactly how does a Troll Brain relate to thinking? When you think stupid, ugly or dangerous thoughts that stop you from doing awesome things…pretty much like turning you into stone; that is Troll Brain.
How do you know you have a Troll Brain? You make decisions based on negative thoughts generated from your own self-talk or from what others have said to you.
Here are some examples of self-imposed Troll Brain. Notice the underlined negative thoughts…so you can stop them if you recognize them too!
- You have an awesome idea that goes nowhere because you think you can’t do it.
- You don’t step into your awesome life because you feel like others are better than you are.
- You don’t share your uplifting message with others because you fear people won’t like you or that they’ll put you down.
- You don’t even try to do something you have always wanted to do because you don’t think there is a use for it.
- You don’t start your Invincible Dream Project because you think everything has to be perfect before you even begin.
- You don’t contribute because you think your opinion doesn’t matter.
- You want to do something nice for yourself, but you think you are not worth it, so you do nothing.
Here are some examples of externally inflicted Troll Brain:
- You want to become an authority on a subject and you mention it to someone, they ask, “Why would anyone listen to you?” So you do nothing.
- You are working toward your dream job and someone questions “Why would you want to do that for a job?” So you stay in the job you have.
- You tell someone about your Invincible Dream and they tell you “It is impossible,” so you don’t even start working on it.
- You win something awesome and tell a friend or family member, who proceeds to tell you how lucky you are and that it will never happen again. You adapt that statement and don’t try to win something again.
You get the idea (and I feel like I need to wash my hands and take some deep breaths after writing all of those yucky statements!!) You don’t have to adapt anyone else’s thoughts. Stay true to who you want to be and how you want to show up in the world. You’re totally worth it!
Here are 5 simple steps to master your Troll Brain:
- Start to listen to your self-talk more. Is it positive enough? If not, elevate your thoughts!
- Listen more to what others are telling you. Is it supportive enough? If not, find more supportive people that will encourage you.
- If you recognize your Troll Brain working, you can actually tell it to stop, then win the conversation by telling it what YOU really think.
- Reverse what the Troll is telling you. Instead of “I’m afraid people won’t like me” replace it with “So many people are going to love this!” Be super enthusiastic with your Troll Brain. It hates that. (Sometimes I imagine the sun is rising and they have to run away before they turn into stone!)
- Let go of what the Troll said and move on to the amazing things ahead in your life.
Become your Troll Brain’s master. After a while, it becomes fun to beat the Troll. After a while, he stays in the shadows while you step into the light!