Sometimes we just don't think! What I mean is we just have a steady stream of thoughts going through our mind. Thinking implies choosing and making a decision. Random thoughts going through our brain generally indicate no specific direction.
Over the years, I noticed I used the first random thought going through my head as the standard to judge my current situation. I used whatever was going through my head to choose and decide what to do. If I had been listening to the news, I used the latest story as the standard. It really did not matter what thought it was, I was captive to my thoughts.
But where did that random thought come from? Is that thought even yours? Probably not originally, but they may be now.
The thoughts in our heads come from many places. Each day we spend time listening with our ears and watching with our eyes. Those are words and images go to our mind, particularly our subconscious brain, for "sifting." The sifting process is determined by our focus. These bits of information then start to form a thought and then a case around the thought that we consciously or unconsciously agree with.
For example, we see an ad for a car that we really like. We can feel what it would be like to sit in that car, how the engine would sound, how the interior would smell, and what the light through the windows would look like. We use all our senses in our minds to see ourselves in that car.
Then, to our surprise, we start to see that car everywhere! And it is in our favorite color. Entertaining the thought in our mind, adding the emotion, focusing on that thought, all contribute to our subconscious mind getting the message that that is important and goes about filtering the almost 11 million bits of information per second we receive.
It really should not come as a surprise. You directed your mind to look for the car you wanted.
So if your mind has two types of thoughts, those you decided upon and those that have come from outside of you, how can you find out which thoughts are yours? The logical answer of going through all our thoughts one by one can feel overwhelming – those of us who are older might even feel this is impossible.
If you mix a cup of orange juice with a quart of water, it all looks like orange juice, but doesn't taste like orange juice. If you mix sugar and salt in equal parts, it would be very tough to separate each grain out. Actually there is a simple answer.
Usually you empty the container and pay attention to what you are putting in the container.
In case of our mind as the container, what we are putting in is what our eyes and ears feed us. Each time something is being put in, ask if this is what you want. Not, is this what I have learned? Or, is this what I have experienced? NO! Ask, is this what I want in my life?
Now you begin to fill your mind, and program your subconscious mind, to receive what you want. You get to choose and design your own life, no matter what others have said to you or how much they want to mold you in their own image.
I challenge you today to look at each thought and decide if this is what you want in your life. This is a decision, the very first step in designing your life.
Then, if you are ready, ask where this came from – was it from your environment? The TV shows? The people you hang out with? The music you listen to? You can choose.
The question is will you choose your dreams, hopes, joys, and life?
I believe in you!
