TRAIN OF THOUGHT

FRIDAY’S FACT:

YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT

“A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. ~ Byron Katie

Thoughts come and go and it is your thoughts which create your emotional landscape and ultimately the results that you are getting in your life. Your emotions are not the result of an event, but are instead the result of the train of thought you choose to ride, the train of thought you believe and the train of thought you give energy to. You must challenge your thoughts, question whether they are true and begin to consciously choose to ride one train of thought over the other. Drop positive thinking and enlightenment and instead go for noticing and awareness – notice your thoughts, test them out, ask yourself if they are really valid and how you are affected when you think them? Could you choose a different thought in that moment – is it possible?

“There are no facts, only interpretations.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

ON SECOND THOUGHT…

You can count on your thoughts showing up, budding in line, begging for attention; their chatter and info, interpretation and messages. Sometimes they will be positive and sometimes negative. You can limit, quiet and influence thoughts by immersing yourself in passion projects, exercise, focused breathing, talking to uplifting people and so on, but thoughts will inevitably happen. It can be much more effective and less frustrating to know that you can choose which thoughts to follow, rather than trying to think the perfect, best thought at all times. You can choose to question thoughts in order to shift a feeling and influence the outcome.

WHERE YOU HEADED?

You will know what train you are riding by how you feel. When you feel bad and feel resistance, disarray, anger, fear and so on, you will know it is time to question the ride, get off at the next stop and board a different train. I am sure you are clear on how you want to feel and where you want to go. You want to feel confident, calm, and peaceful. You want success and to use your strengths. Is the train you are riding likely to create that experience?

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

CHOO, CHOOSE…

So, what are you to do? Think positive all the time, repeat affirmations, focus, focus, focus? Yes, you could, and from time to time it can be effective, however if you have ever tried to “just think positive” the level of frustration that often ensues leaves one feeling positively annoyed. What I suggest to clients is to become aware of your thoughts – the train of thoughts. Much like knowing which train will take you where: downtown, to the mall, a certain neighborhood, the same is true with your thoughts. Which train of thought will lead you to calm, joy, peace and which one will lead to confusion, misery and discomfort? Have you been riding the same train for years, ending up at the same place, but convinced that this time it will be different? Plot a new course, pick a new conductor and hop aboard a new train. If the train is suddenly detoured and you find yourself heading the wrong way, you jump off at the next stop, check the map and get back on the empowering train of thought. Your thoughts have no power until you give them power; they have no future, no impact, no direction and no truth until you choose to own them, energize them, follow them and believe them. You can choose…