“Half the time you think your thinking, you’re actually listening.” ~ Terence McKenna
Lia Love – Recently someone asked me what we can do to move out of negative thinking and actions. First, determine if the negative thoughts are actually yours or not yours.
In my experience, very few if any of our negative thoughts are actually ours. The ones that are not ours may seem like ours because they are playing in our heads. The logic is that we are thinking them so why wouldn’t they be our thoughts? But thoughts can come that surely don’t feel like ours! When they do, we become dumbfounded, shake our head in disbelief, question our sanity and think – surely that isn’t me – I don’t feel that way!
So, when our own thoughts don’t resonate even for us, we have to wonder… Why are we having these thoughts? Where are they actually coming from?
Our Beautiful Minds
Thoughts can be powerful, beautiful and helpful at times, and dangerous at other times. It can feel like walking a tightrope; consciously navigating the convoluted, at times treacherous minefield of the thought world, and determining what is valid for us in the moment and what is not.
Our minds are powerful tools, and we use the mind plus inspiration/intuition for creating. That is a beautiful aspect of mind’s function when it works in our favor. Our minds are also critical and analytical, and can drive our attention to ‘beneficial’ fear, helping us to identify real, imminent danger. However, usually that kind of situation is accompanied with life experiences and gut-level feelings of authentic danger. At that point, our feelings, other instincts and the mind lead the way together.
Discerning real fear from false fear can be very tricky though — and it may seem as if I am talking out of both sides of my mouth here — as sometimes a fear thought that is not ours will create fear in our bodies where it did not exist before, and thus produce a false read. This is when we have to tune in and really ‘listen’ to our inner guidance. Tuning into our inner guidance and smartly assessing the present situation, in combination with the logical tools of the mind, will help us figure out if we are truly in a compromising position or thinking fearful or negative thoughts that have no purpose.
“Ninety-nine percent of your thoughts are a complete waste of time. They do nothing but freak you out.” ~ Michael Singer
Where Are These Thoughts Coming From?
We can be bombarded with thousands of negative thoughts daily. When I say “negative” I mean thoughts that are not productive, not character building or soul supporting. They are thoughts of destruction, in one form or another, either toward ourselves or others. Continue reading →
You are being asked to give yourself a fast from negative thoughts about who you think you are. Nothing wears down your sense of self more than this type of negative thinking. It is debilitating in every way. This is a good place to start in order to affect other areas of your life.
Helen Elizabeth Williams – Negative thoughts are deleterious in their power to influence more negative thoughts.
A fast is a period in which you refrain from some activity. Most people are familiar with a food fast, which allows the digestive system a period of recovery. The same is true for a mental fast. It gives your mind time to recover so you can begin to see the truth in your life without judgment.