I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Not that this is abnormal for me, I have just decided to write about it this time!
There is a lot to think about: family, business, schedules, kids, media, friends, food, cleaning, events, lists, weather, pets, books, the news, bills, politics … the list goes on and on. I don’t think I’m unique in this regard. Do your thoughts go on and on like mine do?
Thinking is the cornerstone of our modern-day society. Without thinkers, we would still be living in caves, without fire, without the wheel, without any of the things we take for granted in our lives today. The ability to think consciously and creatively, to plan and imagine, is responsible for humans being the dominant species on the planet.
Thinking has brought about our greatest achievements as humans! Granted, it has also brought about our worst achievements, but all in all we, as a civilization, have been able to create and do great, positive things… good things that far outweigh the bad. The fact that we are alive and generally thriving on this planet is a great accomplishment!
This does not mean, however, that we don’t have any negative thoughts to speak of. Our thoughts about each of the things in our lives help to dictate our reaction to these very things. Sometimes we react involuntarily and other times very deliberately. The point is, from our very beginning, our thoughts control the actions we take. We have a thought, we choose to act on it… or not. We think about our family getting together for a holiday, we choose to provide a loving space to hold the festivities, we choose to provide a nice meal, we choose to greet them warmly, we choose to plan activities, we choose to do everything revolving around that initial thought.
We are in a great time in our evolution as humans in that the energy around us is giving us the opportunity to really take a look at our thoughts and specifically, our choices. We may never be able to prevent ourselves from having negative thoughts about ourselves, about others, or about any if the things I listed above. Negative thoughts, in the right context, allow for tremendous growth and a different perspective – if you can hold space around them and not allow them to control your reactions.
This is not an easy thing to do, but it can be done. It is possible to recognize when you have a negative thought, to take a step back from it, and then make a decision on how to act that is better than what you would have otherwise made. Being conscious about how you react to your thoughts is the first step. The next time you consciously realize that you have a negative thought, congratulate yourself for recognizing it! If that doesn’t cheer you up, make a better decision about how you’re going to react to that thought and follow through. If that doesn’t cheer you up… call me! =)
