Most of our daily experience can be spent in a negative state of mind, with negative thoughts and complaints to others about things that are not going well. When we spend our days in this state of negativity, we are just attracting more negativity into our lives!
The thoughts we choose to think, and the words we choose to speak really do create our reality.
When we understand this, we then have the power to make changes in our lives, by simply changing our thoughts and words to something more positive and uplifting.
I recently read a book called "The Buddha's Brain" and one thing the author wrote that really stood out for me, was the fact that, according to studies done on the human brain, it is much easier to fall into negative thinking patterns, than to reach for a higher feeling thought. In other words, it takes more effort to think positively!
So, in knowing that our brains are essentially "wired for negativity" we will then realize that making changes will take time, and may not always be easy..but believe me, it is so worth the effort.
Perseverance and persistence in challenging your thoughts, and carefully choosing the words you speak (to yourself and others) will change your perception of the world around you, will make you feel good, and will attract more good experiences and positive people into your life! Doesn't that sound wonderful?
To get you started, the first step to making any change is to develop an awareness of the problem. So, here is a simple exercise for you to try so you can become more aware of your thought patterns throughout the day.
For a day or two..just watch your thoughts! Seriously, just be mindful of the thoughts you are thinking, and every time you notice a thought that makes you feel angry, sad, depressed, or anxious write it in a notebook. You may be surprised at the end of the day to see this list! The idea of this exercise is to make a connection to the thoughts you think, and how those thoughts make you feel. Once you begin to see that negative thoughts make you feel badly, you can begin changing those thoughts to thoughts that make you feel good!
Sometimes a shift in mood will happen and you don't even know what caused it, but if you have more of an awareness of your thought patterns you will find that it was a thought you were thinking that lead to a change your awesome mood! So when you are muttering something negative under your breath, or find yourself in a low state of mind...reach for a higher feeling thought!
For example, if you find yourself cursing the driver that cut you off and start thinking (or worse, actually yelling!) "you idiot!!" Stop and think, and say something to yourself like: "Maybe he is just in a hurry or distracted and didn't even realize he cut me off. I am sure I have unknowingly done the same to someone else." There...doesn't that feel much better?
Another added benefit to changing your thinking is that you will find your stress level has decreases and you feel more calm. Habitual negative thinking patterns add stress to your day to day living, which increases your cortisol levels, throws off your hormone balance, and can lead to many stress related diseases. Quoted from the documentary "Foodmatters" "90% of all disease is stress related".. So why not choose to fill your brain with awesome thoughts? The higher the thought, the better you will feel! After awhile, you will begin to see everything change all around you, and you will feel happier, healthier and more content.
Surround yourself with positive people, look for the joy in life, seek pleasurable experiences, read inspiring literature, exercise in ways that feel good, eat wholesome (real) food, watch uplifting movies, and remember: Reach for the higher feeling thought! And tell yourself 100 times a day, Life is good!
