During a workshop I ran a couple of weeks ago, a colleague revealed how she spends most of her day asking herself “am I doing a good job?”

As we chatted, it was clear this colleague cared about her work. 

But the thought “am I doing a good job?” was consuming her.

So I asked her:

Does that thought help you do a good job?

She took a moment to reflect. Then she said no. She said that thought was messing with the very thing she was aiming for.

When I suggested she could drop her “am I doing a good job?” thought, another colleague piped up and said:

“But it’s not as easy as that Tom. You can’t just drop a thought”

There was a time not so long ago when I believed exactly the same thing. If someone had told me that I could just let a thought go, I would’ve stared at that person like they were leading me up the garden path.

But that’s not how it looks to me anymore.

We all drop thoughts all the time, instantly and with no hassle.

For instance:

I vividly remember walking into the office two years after quitting my job.

It was my first day back at work.

I’d spent most of those two years recovering from burn out and all that came with it, including a couple of months venting on LinkedIn about the “corporate rat race”.

I suspected some of my new colleagues had seen my slightly unhinged ranting. 

As I strolled past Moorgate station and turned right on London Wall, I had a thought:

My new team mates are probably wondering if I think they're all mindless corporate drones

I could feel my chest start to tense and the blood in my hands pump faster. This wasn’t a pleasant thought at all.

But I spotted what was happening. It was almost like I could see that thought appear from a distance. 

I don’t know if it was because I was still in the middle of my seven month coaching certification with American supercoach Michael Neill or because I’d just put my headphones away after listening to a short Rupert “the Spiralizer” Spira audio.

But I was in the right space to see the thought for what it was.

I knew I didn’t need to take that thought seriously. I didn’t need to analyse it, wrestle with it or try to replace it.

I could let it pass instead.

The whole episode must’ve taken less than a second. And almost instantly, my chest relaxed and a wave of relief washed over me.

I don’t know if that sounds mystical, magical or bigger than it really is. 

But it doesn’t have to be any of those.

Think back to the moment you opened this email. You dropped whatever thoughts were swirling around your head as soon as you started reading. Probably without even realising it.

So yes, it’s absolutely possible to let a thought go.

Just so long as you think it is. 

i.e. the thought “you can’t just drop a thought” is just another thought to drop. 

That's the kicker right there.

This is one of the insights that took me from a hamster on the corporate wheel to someone who finds their job relatively fun and stress-free.

If this is a shift you’d like to explore for yourself:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com