Give Me 26 Minutes... I'll Save You 20+ Years Of Your Life | Jay Shetty

Your thoughts are not always true. Challenge them. Your thoughts are not. always. reality. Don't accept them at face. value. When doubts appear, don't assume. Investigate. When fear. whispers, don't bow down. Look closer. When negativity. rises, don't believe. Demand proof. Negativity thrives on blind acceptance.

Negativity grows when you don't fight. back. The number one health and wellness. podcast, J Shetty. J Shetty, the one, the only J Shetty. Hey everyone, welcome back to OnPurpose. I'm so glad you joined me. And if you've. not yet subscribed, click that button so. that you never miss an episode. It's. astounding to me the community that. we're building together. And when you. subscribe here, you're not only.

supporting this show, you're actually. starting to support yourself. You're. saying, "This is a priority. This is. important to me. I want to invest in my. growth. Today's episode is all about. what to do with those negative. thoughts." If you're someone that. experiences intrusive, negative, difficult thoughts, this episode is for. you. If you're someone who walks out of. a meeting and can't stop thinking about. something negative that happened, or you.

were out with friends last week and you. can't stop thinking about a moment or an. experience that felt awkward or. uncomfortable, this episode is for you. And if you're someone that finds. yourself just caught in a negative. spiral, this episode is for you. I'm. going to give you a sevenstep method to. actually master your thoughts and. negativity. I want you to become. unbeatable, undefeable when it comes to.

negative thoughts. Because here's the. reality. Negative thoughts will always. arise. They'll always appear. No one in. this world can never have a negative. thought. But you can make sure that a. negative thought never controls you. You. can win the battle and win the fight. And that's what we're doing today. Step. one is you have to learn to recognize. and acknowledge your thoughts. All of us.

have so many thoughts every single day, but we're not always sure about the. systems. We're not always sure about the. patterns. And I want to share a. spiritual truth with you that is so. important. You are not your thoughts. They're just visitors passing through. your. mind. You are not your thoughts. They're. just noise, not the. truth. You are not your thoughts.

They're temporary, not permanent. Notice. them, but don't let them define you. Name them, but don't give them your. power. Watch them, but don't give them. your. identity. The moment you recognize them, they lose their grip. The moment you. name them, they start to dissolve. The. moment you see them clearly, you set. yourself free. Negative thoughts are not.

facts. Awareness is your power. Negative. thoughts are not your. reality. Awareness is your protection. Negative thoughts are not who you are. Awareness is your path to emotional. freedom. It starts with being aware of. our thoughts. Aware of which ones appear. often. Which ones don't appear enough.

Aware of what we say when we first look. in the mirror. Aware of what we say when. things are not going well. How many of. you are the quickest to judge yourself. and critique yourself, but the first to. congratulate someone else? Are you that. person who when you make a mistake, you'll be really harsh and beat yourself. up, but when someone else does, you're. there to be empathetic and kind and. compassionate? We're so quick to judge. ourselves and so quick to celebrate.

others. It's so important we become. aware of these patterns that we all. experience so that we can begin this. breakthrough. So, I wanted to keep. repeating that and I want you to say it. out loud. I am not my thoughts. You are. not your thoughts. They're just. temporary clouds floating across the sky. of your mind. And neuroscience proves. it. Simply labeling emotions. Naming. them activates the prefrontal cortex and.

calms the amygdala, reducing emotional. overwhelm. Think of negative thoughts. like pop-up ads. Annoying, distracting, but not permanent or meaningful. You can. just hover over them and press the cross. and they're gone. The problem isn't that. they appear. It's that we believe them. Now, imagine you're on your desktop or. your laptop and all these screens of. pop-ups just start turning up. You only.

get lost in them when you start filling. out the form. When you get tricked into. clicking on one, we don't want to. doubleclick on a negative thought. We. want to allow it to pass through like a. popup or a cloud. There's a beautiful. Zen story which talks about two monks. watching the sky. Dark clouds rolled in. and one monk cried, "It's a bad. omen." The other simply said, "Clouds.

come and go." The clouds didn't change. Only their reaction did. Your thoughts. are. clouds. Notice them. Name them. But. don't become them. Here's an experiment. I want you to try, a habit, a practical. tip that I want you to give a go today. When you notice a negative thought, pause and internally say, "I'm having a. negative thought about." Just naming it.

can weaken its hold. Stop saying you're. a negative person. Stop saying that you. have negative. energy. Switch that to I am having a. negative thought about. Naming it can. weaken its hold. Naming it can loosen. its grip. And naming it gives you back. the power because you're now. aware. Here's a habit. I want you to set.

three thought alert reminders. Morning, midday, evening. And when it goes off, pause for 30 seconds to scan your mind. and jot down any negative thought. patterns that you see. When you start to. understand the patterns, you have the. power. Remember that when you understand. the patterns, you have the power because. now when that pattern emerges, you can. do step two. Step two is challenge your.

negative thoughts. Now that you know. that there's a pattern, let's say you. always feel negative when you first wake. up in the morning. Let's say you always. feel negative just before going to bed. Maybe you feel negative just before you. walk through the door of the office. Right? We have certain times in our day. when negativity is really loud. Now that. we're aware of them, we have to learn to. challenge them. Not in the moment.

because that time we need to focus on. work, focus on sleep, focus on waking. up. We need to challenge them when we. become aware of the pattern in our spare. time. Right now, that's what you're. doing. I want you to remember this. Your. thoughts are not always. accurate. Question them. Your thoughts. are not always true. Challenge them. Your thoughts are not always reality. Don't accept them at face value. When.

doubts appear, don't assume, investigate. When fear. whispers, don't bow down. Look closer. When negativity. rises, don't believe. Demand. proof. Negativity thrives on blind. acceptance. Negativity grows when you. don't fight back. Negativity wins when. you don't question it. Dig deeper.

Beneath fear, you'll find clarity. Beneath doubt, you'll find truth. Beneath noise, you'll find your power. One thought challenged is one chain. broken. One thought challenged is one. burden lifted. One thought challenged is. one step toward freedom. Not every thought you have is true. In. fact, negativity loves to wear the mask.

of reality. Cognitive behavioral therapy. or CBT has long shown that challenging. irrational thoughts reduces anxiety and. builds emotional. strengths. Ask yourself, is this thought. a fact or just a fear? It's really important to know, is this. thought a fact or is it just a fear? So. the next time you catch yourself.

spiraling, ask yourself, what evidence. do I have that this thought is true? What evidence do I have that in fact. this thought is not true? You're almost. becoming a lawyer in your own life. Learning how to negotiate, learning how. to persuade, learning how to build and. stand up for an argument because guess. what? The lawyer in your mind, that. critique is winning every case. But. that's because we don't know how to.

challenge our thought. If you think that. lawyer in your head is on your side, you. lose every case. You lose every battle. But when you realize that you're not. your thoughts, you're allowed to have a. defense, you're allowed to have a. case, that's when you recognize that you. don't need to accept a thought that has. no evidence. And what you want to do is. present the countereidence to your mind. systematically. Here's a daily habit to.

make it easy. Create a daily thought. challenge. Each evening, write one. negative thought from your day. Challenge it with evidence and rewrite. it into a more balanced, empowering. statement. When you go to bed that way, you'll wake up with more energy and. naturally feel disconnected from the. weight of that thought. Step number. three is reframe your. thoughts. My favorite quote is from.

Wayne Dyier. He said, "When we change. the way we look at things, the things we. look at change." Your thoughts are a. story. But here's the best part. You can. write the next line right now. Actually, you get to choose the title of the next. chapter right now. You get to write the. next few pages right now. When you. change the story, you change the. feeling. When you change the. perspective, you change the power. When.

you change the lens, you change your. life. Negative stories exhaust you. Positive reframing energizes you. Negative thinking shrinks you. Positive. reframing frees you. Small changes in. your viewpoint can lead to big changes. in your vision. Let me give you an. example. You're running late to work. because someone cut you off in traffic.

You get to work and now you're telling. everyone that story of that person who. cut you off in traffic. What you forgot. to mention was the person who smiled at. you. What you forgot to mention was the. fact that you still got to work on time. What you forgot to mention is that you. survived. Nothing bad happened. The. other side of the story was draining. Makes you feel rushed. Makes you feel. overwhelmed. Makes you feel. stressed. Just refraraming. It's not. that it didn't happen. It's that you're still here. Right?

Positivity doesn't mean I ignore things. that happened. It means I see everything. about what happened. The fact that I'm. alive, the fact that I'm here, the fact. that I'm on time, the fact that I'm. smiling at someone, someone's smiling at. me. That simple. connection. How you frame an experience. changes everything about how you feel. it. Let me say that again. How you frame. an experience changes everything about. how you feel it. If you frame an.

experience as. negative, you feel bad. If you frame an. experience as useful, insightful, powerful, fulfilling, it transforms you. Research shows that reframing negative. experiences improve resilience and. overall well-being. It's not denial. It's conscious perspective. shifting. Two people can face the same. storm. One sees destruction, the other.

sees. renewal. I really love this idea that. two people can experience the same. thing, but react to it. differently. It is up to you to choose. to reframe a narrative, reframe an. experience. And it's all about practice. The first time you try and do this, it's. going to be really hard. By day five, it's going to be easier. By month five, you're going to be flying and flowing. You will be unbeatable. A negative.

experience or a negative thought won't. be able to control you because you've. practiced refraraming an experience. That person who you feel doesn't care. about you, they just lost a great. friend. That person you feel doesn't. value you. They just disconnected from a. gift in their life. We have to reframe. and understand differently the. experiences we go through. Here's an. experiment today. When a small.

inconvenience happens, pause and. reframe. How could this actually be. working for me? And here's a daily. habit. Start a reframing jar. Each. night, write down one negative event and. intentionally reframe it in a neutral or. positive light before placing it in the. jar. Watch your mindset shift over. weeks. You'll literally feel yourself. rewiring your brain to notice different.

things. Our day feels bad because we. notice the bad more than the good. Our. day feels hard because we notice the. difficult more than our determination. Our day feels long because we notice the. hardship more than we do the beautiful. relationships. Shift your. perspective. Step four is practicing. mindfulness and. meditation. Take a moment to pause and.

breathe deeply right now. Mindfulness. means simply noticing your present. experience. Let thoughts pass without. holding on to them. Pay attention to. your breath. It's your anchor. Meditation doesn't require perfection, just. consistency. Practice letting go of. anything you're holding on to. Quieting. your mind, even briefly, can reset your. entire day. It's the oldest wisdom in.

the book, but taking a few breaths can. reset you. When you're nervous, when. you're anxious, when you're stressed, when you have negative thoughts, your. breath is faster, shallower. As soon as. you breathe, you make it deeper, slower, and you regain your power. When you're. moving fast, think about it. If you're. driving a car really fast and something. comes out in front of you, it's really. hard to maneuver around it, right? So, when a negative thought comes at you, if.

you're already moving really fast, chances are you're going to collide. And. that's what we experience every day, collisions with our negative thoughts. But imagine if you were driving a little. bit slower. You could slow down just. ahead of that disruption and swerve. comfortably, coolly, calmly. That's what. regular mindfulness practice allows you. to do. Mindfulness is about being where. you are, not racing ahead, not clinging.

to the past. Research from Kabat Zinn. shows that even short consistent. mindfulness practices can reduce anxiety. and depression. significantly. Mindfulness is like. clearing a cluttered desk. You create. space for clarity. So here's the. experiment I want you to do. Set a. fiveinut timer today. Focus only on your. breathing. When thoughts wander, gently. return attention to your breath without.

judgment. And for every one hour, stop. and breathe deeply for one minute. And. watch how you start getting the pace to. actually maneuver and shift. Number five. is something we don't do enough of. Engaging in joyful activities. You can't. always avoid difficult emotions, but you. can decide how long they stay. You can't.

choose every result, but you can choose. what you learn from it. You can't always. avoid setbacks, but you can decide how. they shape you. You can't choose others. perceptions, but you can choose your own. selfworth. You can't erase past. experiences, but you can choose how they. influence your future. You can't control. the world's chaos, but you can choose to. create your own peace. Studies show that.

regular engagement in enjoyable. activities lowers depression. significantly. Doing what you love isn't. indulgence. It's essential maintenance. for your mental health. So, here's what. I want you to do today. Spend at least. 15 minutes doing something you genuinely. love. Having your coffee, reading, gardening, dancing, painting, whatever. it is, and notice your mood before and.

after. Schedule a daily joy episode. Block out 20 minutes each morning or. evening just for an activity that. nourishes you. Right? Think of it like a. joy meeting or a joy episode. Being able. to do that allows you to tap into joy. and reduce stress. This is such an. important part because ultimately. negativity and positivity are both. contagious. Have you ever met someone.

and you just feel positive? Have you. ever done an activity and you just feel. positive? Well, you can be that person. That person wasn't born that way. They're practicing. They're developing. that skill. And you can as well. Step. number six is looking after your temple, your body. Your body isn't separate from. your mind. It's the vehicle that carries. your spirit. Regular exercise reduces. depressive symptoms by up to.

30%. Hydration boosts brain function. Sleep resets your emotional baseline. It's simple, but it's foundational. A. Zen student once asked his master, "How. do I attain. enlightenment?" The master replied, "When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep. When sad, move. Caring for the body wasn't.

secondary. It was. sacred." I also love this idea because. when we're out of food, we eat. When. you're out of growth, you choose to. grow. So today's experiment is go for a. 20 minute walk today for a gentle. stretch and pay attention to how your. mind feels afterwards. If you want to. boost your day, it's as simple as this. 7 hours of sleep, eight glasses of. water, and 15 minutes of movement. Go on.

that walk, get outdoors, and watch how. your mood and mind change. And finally, number seven is limiting our exposure to. negativity. I was recently on a podcast, and I was talking to Tinx and we were. talking about this idea of how the. challenge today is our news finds us. We. don't find our news. Before people would. open up the newspaper to see what the. news was. Today you're on social media.

trying to figure out what your friends. are doing and you're reading about. something happening halfway across the. world. You're about to send a message to. a family member and someone sends. something in the group chat which is. about a news update. We no longer find. our news. Before you were primed, you. were prepared. I'm going to look at the. news to see what's happening in the. world. Today you're trying to connect. You're trying to show empathy. You're. trying to love. You're trying to have. fun. And you're finding the news at that. time. It's extremely confusing and. draining for your mind which is looking.

for love and being overloaded by other. information. Now, I'm not saying the. news is not important. I'm saying it's. important to be informed. But our mind. is better when we've chosen what we're. doing. If your mind knows you're. watching the news or about to pick up a. newspaper or about to read a news site. or a newsletter that you love, the mind. is prepared and primed. You can't avoid. negativity, but you can look for the. good around you. You can't stop people.

from criticizing you, but you can decide. which feedback matters. You can't erase. stress completely, but you can find. healthy ways to handle it. You can't. avoid every bad day, but you can. appreciate the good ones. You can't stop. difficult moments, but you can decide. what they teach you. You can't control. others attitudes, but you can protect.

your own mood. You can't always avoid. negativity, but you can choose how much. you allow in. Studies show 56% of adults. report higher stress due to constant. news and social media consumption. Remember, you are what you consume. It's. important to create a digital diet, a. digital fast, and a digital detox, and a. digital plan to support the mind that.

you want. One of my favorite Zen stories. is when a student asked their teacher, "How do you remain at peace despite the. chaos of the world?". The master smiled and said, "I simply. don't argue with. reality. Most of our tension is created. because we want things to be different.". When in reality, when we accept what's. happening and we work to make them.

different, we improve. When you want. something to be different and when you. work for something to be different, it's. two different experiences. When you work. to make something different, you feel. closer to the solution. So the problem. feels smaller. Whereas when you want. something to be different, you're. standing away from the problem and it. feels bigger and. uncontrollable. If you've been really. overwhelmed recently, take a. 24-hour media detox today. No news, no.

social media, no negativity. And observe. how your mind feels. and build a. positivity shield. Limit news to one. short daily check that you define. Look. at the news at one time in the day. Mute. negative accounts and deliberately. subscribe to uplifting podcasts or. inspiring content and unsubscribe from. the others. I hope this sevenstep ritual.

and method creates less negative. thoughts and more importantly control. over the ones that do get through to. you. Thank you so much for listening. Make sure you've subscribed. Send this. episode to someone who'll appreciate it. and I'll see you on the next one. If you. love this episode, you'll enjoy my. interview with Dr. Daniel Aemon on how. to change your life by changing your. brain. If we want a healthy mind, it. actually starts with a healthy brain. You know, I've had the blessing or the.

curse to scan over a thousand convicted. felons and over a hundred murderers and. their brains are very damaged. [Music].