By: Charles Joseph
Have you ever caught yourself thinking? For instance, have you ever paused and just listened to the thoughts that you allow into your mind? Everyone has thoughts. I would venture to say that most people pay little to no attention to their thoughts. I would even go as far to say that most of time people work rather diligently just to distract themselves from their thoughts. While there is merit in redirecting one’s attention to more important matters, I would like to take some time today with you, the reader, and break down what a thought actually is and how it affects the human experience.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “attitude is everything”? What about the word perception? For the sake of breaking down a thought, I am defining a thought as a perception. This can be demonstrated by the fact that if you are more aware of an object or an experience on a day-to-day basis, then you are likely to notice that object or experience throughout your day.
One example of this is when I buy a new phone. All of a sudden it seems like everyone has that phone too. The truth is, I just didn’t notice that so many people had that particular kind of phone until I held one in my hand and used it; and the experience caused me to add more relevance to this new device that I like so much. With this, my mind begins to filter out other phones and zone in on phones like mine or better.
What is happening here? I perceived an experience of having a new phone to be a relevant part of my life which caused my mind to seek similar information. How much was the phone? Was it worth it? Is there a better type of phone? What is unique about mine? In other words, my mind used the experience of a new phone as a catalyst or a foundation for new thoughts.
Think of the mind like a spider-web. In the center you have a single thought. From each thought flows more and more thoughts. All of this happens instant by instant due to the miracle of nature.
Within each new thought lies an emotion. An emotion is a feeling — good or bad. Scientifically, a “negative thought” releases cortisol and a “positive thought” releases endorphins. But, back to the idea of perception. I want to clarify that perception is reality for the sake of this article.
So, do you and I have a choice on the things that we assign relevance to? Absolutely. Are you grateful for the simple necessities of life or do you always have to have more? Do you complain more than you say thank you? Are people out to get you? Or is it possible that your attitude towards people greatly affects how they treat you?
Slow down on a daily basis and just listen to the thoughts going through your head. Write a few of them down. Ask yourself why you thought those thoughts and if they are beneficial to your goals in life. Do this once a day for ten days, and you may find that you are more aware and in control of your thoughts and decisions and feel more confident at the end of the day.
I hope you enjoyed this article and thank you for taking the time with me to center yourself, build towards your future, and create a more and more purposeful life with each little step.
I will be writing in the future on my journey with pursing the why to achieve my goals.
By: Charles Joseph
