The Results Cycle

Hello Cove family, I’m coming to you today as Coach Paula. I have something that is a tool that I use quite often in coaching and I want to share it with you in regards to December and going through the Holidays. It’s called the Results Cycle, and it's something that I use quite a bit in coaching and for myself as well.

The Results Cycle is an exercise of how our thinking affects us and gives us results based on how we’re thinking. Our thinking is really important. We need to be checking in and seeing if our thinking is what God is wanting us to think, and if it is helpful. Is it getting the results we’re wanting? As you think about the holidays, consider the results you want for yourself. For example, I want a peaceful holiday, I want to see God move in my life, I want to walk in his calling on my life, etcetera. If I want those results, then I have to change what goes on in my mind.

So here’s a cycle that I use to do just that. This first circle is what I believe. What is the belief that I have? Maybe I have a negative thought about myself, like “I’m just not a person that people like.” Or maybe, “I’ve got these faults,” so that's what I believe about myself. All that self-doubt affects the next circle, which is our behavior. 

If I believe something, then I’m going to behave a certain way.  Maybe I believe that things are always harder for me and I always seem to get dealt the bad hand. Then I’m going to start to behave in that way, and I will come into situations and things with that belief in my mind. 

And then what happens with that is it starts to affect my relationships. Because I’m behaving in that way, my relationships will be affected as well. The last circle is the results that we get. If I believe this way about myself, I behave a certain way, my relationships are then affected by that, and the results are, “See, I just always seem to have all these bad things happen to me.” What that does then, reinforces my belief. “See, that’s why I believe that.” And this cycle goes on and on and on and on. Sometimes it can be so hard to know, “How do I get out of that cycle of bad thinking?” 

I really believe that if I change my thinking, I’m going to change my behavior. If my behavior changes, then my relationships are going to change, and in that I'm going to get different results and again that is going to reinforce my thinking and what I believe inside. Changing what you think, what goes on in your head, becomes super important through the holidays. So what is it you're wanting to think? 

For me, one of the things that came up this week is this relationship between Mary and Elizabeth. When Mary was with child, she goes and visits Elizabeth and I never noticed this before, but Elizabeth’s response to her was, “Who am I? How do I have such favor that the mother of God would come visit me?” She had this positive way of thinking of God’s favor. That’s my thing that I’m doing all month of December. Every morning I’m sitting and writing this thought: “How am I so favored, that I...” and then I fill in the blank of what amazing blessing that I have in my life. The first day it was that I was able to raise two incredibly, beautiful, amazing boys that are now these incredible men. Who am I that God would give me favor to have that amazing responsibility and privilege in life? 

So now I’m looking for some of those big things, some things that are smaller, but ways to practice a new way of thinking. Not a negative way of thinking, but a new way of thinking so that this cycle can be reinforced in my mind and become a part of who I am.

I hope you all have an amazing December. I pray that God meets you in amazing and powerful ways as He does and does more than you could ever imagine. As you allow Him to move, to change how you're thinking, and watch to see what he will do in your life. 

Tags: relationships, behavior, thoughts, results