28 August 2015

The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking.  It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.  ~ Albert Einstein

The importance of cultivating our thoughts, both for our own benefit and for the good of the world, has been commented on throughout time by influential thinkers like Buddha and Ghandi, Henry Ford and Norman Vincent Peale.  It’s built into favorite fables and classic story tales.

These familiar quotes and anecdotes hinge on an understanding that our thoughts are powerful.   And simultaneously—malleable.

Yet, it is incredibly easy to get locked into the position of defending our thoughts as if they were infallible and unequivocal.

I’ve been working with the thought model I presented in the last post.  It’s Phd. level work for me.  I can react impulsively, without stopping to question my assumptions.  The tool works best when I remember to hoist it from my tool belt and use it.

But even just a moment’s hesitation, just enough to admit that my thoughts might not be totally correct or fully comprehensive, is enough for me to get the tool humming and alter a response.  Because if I reshape how I perceive a situation, that changes my actions which then effects all the events downstream of it, all the loops spiraling out beyond it.

When you catch yourself slipping into a mood, you can play with this model and see if it helps.  Ask yourself how certain you are that your thoughts about the situation are absolutely factual.   Is it possible that some old and perhaps untrue story you have about yourself is shading your interpretation?  Can you come at it from a different angle?  And from that different perspective can you respond in a positive way?  A way that empowers your larger objectives?

Here’s what I’m thinking…I think you can!

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.  ~Dr. Wayne Dyer