April 11th, 2011
Upon that which we dwell will become our Heaven or our hell. It really seems so simple. Simple on the surface but so terribly hard to implement. If there is something that bothers you right now or something from the past that keeps bothering you, how do you get it out of your mind? You know that good thoughts can make you feel good and that upsetting thoughts can make you feel… well…upsetting. If we were to choose between Heavenly thoughts and hellacious thoughts, we would always choose the one that feels better. (Pssst..Unless you are in a really crappy mood, the Heavenly one should feel better) But what if we just can’t shake certain thoughts of loss or betrayal or fear or regret? “Be very, very careful what you put in your head, because you will never, ever get it out” said Thomas Cardinal Wolsey in the 16th Century. So, are we doomed to listening to the same bad song in our heads for the rest of our lives? NO, NO, NO!
What would you do if a group of surly, non-respectful, agitating creatures (I have to say creatures because if I actually name anything on earth that should be rejected, somebody will write and tell me that they love them, rescue them and have seen infinity in their eyes) showed up at your door? Would you invite them in? Maybe give them your bed to sleep in? Maybe serve up your family for them to devour? Of course not!! But that’s exactly what we do when we start entertaining an upsetting thought that shows up. That upsetting thought that we CHOOSE to entertain changes our mood and screws around with our sleep, our health and inflicts itself upon our friends and family.
The answer to all of this is REJECT and SWITCH. Your feelings are always the perfect sensor for what you are thinking. When you first get that telltale feeling that your thoughts are in the realm of the unwanted, you need to take immediate action! REJECT the thought that you are thinking. Immediately stop the thought. Do not finish the sentence. Do not wait for the microsecond of pleasure that comes from imagining a different outcome than the truth. Just stop and instantly SWITCH to thinking a better thought. A thought that you have practiced and written down. A thought that equals the intensity of the thought you are ignoring. You can’t have a thought about a horrible break up and expect that the thought of a sunflower is going to take it’s place. Fill that space as quickly as you can with an intense thought that makes you feel good. It’s not easy but it can and should be done. With practice, you will once again command the helm of your ship and you will go where you wish to go and not be driven by ill winds. Think the thoughts that make you feel good. You deserve it.
(c)2011 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride www.PatrickInspires.com