It all begins with a thought. Behind every action that we have, behind every behavior, everything, there’s a thought behind it.
Most of our thoughts are unconscious. However, when you become aware of your thoughts, you can take control of them.
Your Emotional State Reveals the Focus of Your Thoughts
Your thoughts trigger the emotional state you are in. That is very important to pay attention to, because your emotional states tell you in general terms where your thoughts are focused on.
Whenever you are in a negative emotional state, I can guarantee you with certainty that at that moment your focus, your thoughts, are on things that you want to avoid in your life; something that you move away from; something that you want to get rid of; or something that you want to have less in your life. Every time when your thoughts are on those kind of things, you have a negative feeling.
On the other hand, every time you are in a very positive state of mind, your thoughts are on things that you want to move towards to, that you want to have more in your life, and so on.
Your Actions Follow Your Thoughts
So your emotional states give you a clue on what you’re thinking about. When you change the focus of your thoughts, you change your emotional state. By changing the focus of your thoughts, you start to guide your life to a direction you want move to because the actions and behaviors always follow your thoughts.
Therefore, if your thoughts are, for example, on something bad that has happened in the past, you create yourself the same feeling you felt when that bad thing happened. Then, from that same emotional state, you repeat the same kind of behaviors you did then.
To create new kind of behavior, you need to change the focus of your thoughts to something that you want instead.
By the way, I would say that 99% of our thoughts are somehow based on the past. Even when we are planning the future, our thoughts about the future are based on the past and what we think is possible.
How to Change the Automations of Your Thoughts?
Our thoughts on automation are based on our beliefs, our values, our habits, our paradigms and so on. And those thoughts are practically always coming from the past.
To take control of your thoughts is really about, first of all, to become aware of what you’re thinking. And like I said earlier, a very good hint is your emotional state. By becoming aware of your thoughts, you can take control of them and really deliberately start to think of things that you want to happen in your life.
This is the way you can take charge of your life: take control of your thoughts.
Words of Wisdom
Chapter 18 in my book Words of Wisdom is about thought. Again, there are several wise quotes from wise people in the book on thought.
I would like to share here a very wise thought from Sydney Banks. Here’s what Syd Banks has to say about mind, thought and consciousness:
So thoughts are like the steering wheel or a rudder of our life. And when you take control of your thoughts, you start to be in charge of your life. That’s how it really goes. Like I pointed out earlier, becoming aware of your thoughts is the first step.
Meditation, I think, is a very good practice to become aware of your thoughts, although not the only one. Basically, you need to just stop and become aware of your thoughts. I recommend that several times a day, just stop and think, what are you thinking about?
Simply start to learn, to practice, thinking deliberately. Think about what you really want. And there is the secret to taking control of your life: take control of your thoughts.
I hope this blog post gave you some new thoughts about your life and how to take control of it.
