A friend recommended a recent book club read to my husband and I. It sounded good, but then it ended up on my “to read” list for when I got time. Sound familiar?

Finally, I was able to download the book to listen to on a trip. It was incredible and I knew why my friend had been so excited. It’s not a relaxing and fun book, but it’s an eye-opening and rewarding one that anyone could benefit from.

Winning the War In Your Mind was written by Craig Groeschel, a New York Times Bestselling Author. Whether in our personal life or in business, I think everyone has at least some trouble working through negative thoughts or lies that we may or may not be aware we’re telling ourselves. This book shows readers how to change their thinking in order to change their life.

As a mom, we suffer from things like “mom guilt”, comparisons, wondering if we’re enough, mourning what used to be or wishing for something in the future. Each of those is understandable, but are they hurting our mindset and how we view ourselves?

I loved Groeschel’s analogy of a worn out path. When you walk a certain route over and over, you wear out a walking path that is visible and changes the landscape. It becomes easier to walk that path each time you take it. Likewise, when you tell yourself something over and over, it almost becomes a mantra and wears out a path in our brain. It’s easier to mentally follow that trail of thought the next time. If that mental path is a lie you tell yourself , like “I’m not good enough” then it becomes easier and easier to follow that line of thought and internalize it. Sometimes we have to make a new path. 

This book has helpful exercises at the end of the chapters that move people to freedom in their mind. Sounds great, right?

You start simple with auditing your general thoughts, taking a harder look at any lies you tell yourself, and then counter-acting those with truth, creating new paths and having a strategy for the future thoughts you’ll encounter. 

Craig Groschel is a pastor in Oklahoma and this is definitely from a Christian perspective. While some may not appreciate it, I found it freeing to tell myself not just general truths but what God says about me. It’s not just me, and won’t be just you, it’s so much more profound.

The principles in this book are so helpful, even if they take time. I’m still building new pathways, but understanding the lies that I needed to stop was part of the battle.

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Children also need help processing their thoughts and emotions. If you’re needing good books for younger children that help with thoughts and decisions then I highly recommend:

• What Should Danny Do? by Adir and Ganit Levy
• All About Feelings by Felicity Brooks and Frankie Allen
• What If I Know My Feelings by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt
• Good Pictures Bad Pictures (there’s also a Jr. version) by Kristen A. Jenson