Our mind is quite busy! One thought after the next, with seemingly no direction or purpose. Our goal, of course, is to be able to gain some control over the operation of our mind, so we can be more comfortable and effective in all that we do. We must first have some sense of what our thoughts mean and where they come from. We also need to recognize that we have thousands of thoughts throughout the day, some of them have value for us, but most are irrelevant. And yes, these thoughts happen at lightning speed! This rapid movement can create an overwhelming experience if we allow it to. One of our goals, then, is to learn how to slow it down just a bit, so we know what it is we’re working with and what is important to pay attention to. Our mind is merely a tool we use to create our life. Simply put, we are not our mind or our thoughts. What we hope to realize is that thoughts are just thoughts. They come and go. Problems arise when we overly identify with them and allow them to become our reality. Our job is to become the observer. We then place ourselves in a position to use our mind as intended, as a vehicle of creation itself. Let’s take a look.
Are thoughts real? Yes and no
With the multitude of thoughts we have in any given day, we need to be honest that some will be good and productive, and some will not. That’s ok, we’re human. Keep in mind that our ego would like us to believe that our thoughts are real, when in fact, they are not. They do not become real things until we give them a form in our life through creative action. Although we are creative beings, if every thought could instantly become real in the physical world, the world would be a very different and dangerous place indeed! Don’t worry, relax. There are safeguards in place within the creative process until we develop proper intent and motivation. So, we all have negative and unproductive thoughts at times. What we’re learning is that many of them have no value for us or anyone else. Remember, however, we also have good thoughts. These are the ones we want to give our attention to. Let the rest go. Our thoughts are technically not real things in a physical sense, but they do consist of real energy and therefore have a life of their own. They will move out into the world and have potential to create positive or negative effects. We always want to practice policing our own mind to the best of our ability. We have the power of choice, so why not choose the best! One of the most important things to realize is that just because we have a thought, it doesn’t make the thought truth. It’s just a thought. Thoughts exist as possibility or potential, only. In other words, our ego is powerful indeed, and can make us believe something is more real than it actually is. This is what we hope to avoid in the future.
What is what, and who is who?
We have many different kinds of thoughts, and they come from many different places. The air is filled with energy and thought, and our mind is much like a sponge. This is a good thing for the most part, as we need to be receptive in order to know what is available for our use. A potential problem, however, is that we are open to everything, including thoughts and beliefs that do not belong to us, or have any practical value in our life. The question we need to ask ourselves, then, is “does this apply to me, or does it help me create what I am attempting to create?” The difficult part is sifting through the myriad of possibility. The easy part is choosing what is best and realistic. Again, we have the importance of focus. Keep it clean and simple.
What we pay attention to is what we create
Our greatest goal is to discern between important thoughts and unimportant ones. Thoughts only become important if we give them meaning and value. Our thoughts can be powerful if we give them attention. As I have mentioned, a good way to know if your thoughts are beneficial is to be aware of how they make you feel. Our feelings are a great indicator of what is appropriate or not. Our feelings become our friend in this sense. If we don’t feel well, or our life is not going well, we need to change our thinking. We create by deciding. We change our reality by changing our mind.
Becoming the observer
The very best thing we can do for ourselves is not to become our thoughts. If we become our thoughts, we have given our thoughts power, and then they have the ability to control us, including the condition of our life and experience. We are the one who directs our thoughts, not the other way around. Our mind is a stage, you see. We are the observer. It’s sort of like watching a movie or seeing a play. We can view our thoughts, the processes of our mind, and our outer life in the same fashion. We know that the movie has a beginning and an end. So, what is the implication here? Well, we are not the movie itself. We create the movie, we watch the movie, we even act in the movie. No attachment, no significance. Our role is being the director. This “observer space” takes a long time to become fully established, so be patient with yourself. We make things difficult by making things too important. Relax, let go, move on. Begin creating that next better version.
Gaining control
One of the biggest mistakes we make in our process is trying to make certain thoughts go away. This doesn’t work very well. What we want to do is be ok with our thoughts, no matter what they are. There will always be thoughts present. In many cases, recurring thoughts that are unpleasant are merely a tape recording generated from our own ego, nothing more. If we have done our healing and taken care of the past to the best of our ability, then it’s time to move on. You will reach a point where it’s time to say no. I’m not interested anymore. Love those repetitive thoughts and old patterns of thinking, and just say goodbye. Unfortunately, our ego would have us revisit things over and over when there’s nothing left to do. Saying goodbye to our old ways isn’t a one-time thing. We’ll have to repeat it several times for it to work. This is how we allow repetition to be a powerful and effective tool rather than a painful reminder. Be consistent and patient. We all have the goal of becoming effective creators. We desire not only productivity, but peace as well. We’ll be unsuccessful in our efforts if we continue to try to change the past. In most cases, we designate too much focus and effort in this area. There is no room to create anything new. If we expect change to happen, and thereby create what we really want, we’re going to have to do a little housecleaning!
If we want our life to work, we need to slow down. Within our mind is where it needs to happen first. A smoother, more comfortable outer life will naturally follow. No matter what we may believe to be possible, the truth tells us we can only do one thing at a time. Our mind will work better for us if we maintain it properly. So, go ahead and keep up with your meditation, reflection, or whatever relaxation method that works best for you. By all means, be consistent. I’m afraid our own ego has allowed us to become lazy. You see, everything will work better if we do the work, my friends. It’s really not hard at all, just do. Relax, breathe, take it easy. Let that warm, gentle breeze move through your mind. Smooth, calm, nice and balanced.
All my love and support, be well