Advanced Notice: This message is not about setting goals, starting the New Year off with a bang, or vision board planning. It’s about negativity.
It’s my experience that some of us start the new year with a bit of trepidation, nervousness, and disappointment vs. excitement, gusto, and a “let’s get after it” attitude. If that might be you, don’t worry; I’ve got you covered today.
Have you noticed one negative thought tends to act like a giant magnet, pulling another negative thought closer, then another, then another, until your mind is full of noise and begins to spiral? There’s actually a name for that.
Black-hole Thinking is when your mind becomes a gravity well that sucks in every doubt, fear, and worst-case scenario within reach.
Black-hole Thinking can appear harmless at first, but it’s detrimental to your mindset and your success. Your thoughts don’t just affect your mood—they shape your decisions, your energy, and ultimately your results.
When you spiral into black-hole thinking, you:
- Miss opportunities because you’re convinced they won’t work
- Drain your energy on catastrophizing instead of creating
- Make fear-based decisions that keep you small and safe
- Repel support because negativity pushes people away
The most successful people aren’t positive all the time; they are experts at catching and redirecting spirals before they gain traction. They understand that mental momentum works both ways: negative thoughts build negative outcomes, but redirected thoughts build forward motion.
You may not be able to stop the first thought. But you can stop the second one.
Protecting your power so you can take action isn’t forced positivity. When you begin to feel the magnet in your brain gearing up for activity, try the following:
- Name it. “I’m spiraling right now.” (Awareness breaks the loop)
- Pause it. Take three deep breaths. (Physiology shifts psychology)
- Flip it. Ask: “What’s ONE thing going right?” or “What’s ONE action I can take?” or “What’s NOT true about this?”
You’re not denying reality, you’re refusing to let one setback convince you that everything is falling apart. You’re choosing to see the full picture instead of just the shadows. And it’s critically important we keep this in mind at the start of a new year, when sometimes, things don’t always happen how we’d like.
Marcus Aurelius said, “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind.” He was spot on, and he didn’t have the added benefit of science. The science is that our brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) is constantly filtering reality based on what we focus on. When we spiral, our RAS starts finding more evidence that things are terrible. When we redirect, we train it to spot possibilities, solutions, and wins instead.
We’re not changing reality; we’re changing what we notice, which changes our behavior.Your challenge today is, if you catch yourself in a spiral, name it, pause it, and flip it.
We have no idea what 2026 has in store for us, but together, we need to ensure it doesn’t become the Year of the Black Hole.
Happy New Year, Partners!
