We can CHOOSE our attitudes, just as readily as we can choose what clothes to wear in the morning. Many, many people believe the LIE that if a particular thought, attitude or mood comes upon them, then they must continue to experience it; that the attitude of mind that occurs to their brain is somehow “in charge” & dictates to them what they “ought to” feel. When we REALLY grasp the truth of the fact that we can CHOOSE our attitudes just as readily & easily as we choose our clothes, then we become free from the sense of having to think, and especially to feel, what occurs to our minds. We have the God given POWER to deliberately choose what attitude we will or will not have at any moment of the day. It’s not about forcing our minds to think a certain way, though some gentle & persistent effort is required. It’s not about will power, in the sense of forcing our minds to do something we don’t really believe in. It’s about recognising that what we allow our own minds to dwell on, in thought, has a large effect on our mood. Success in the field of our own minds, & getting release from the tyranny of hurting ourselves in our own minds, is about deliberate choice: choosing to think nicer things; better things; kinder (to self) things. Let’s face it, if you can identify with negative self-talk (the way you regard yourself) then you can recognise that choosing that negativity & being a slave to it, hasn’t really done you any favours up until now, has it? So it’s time to change! It takes some effort to change - the gentle & persistent effort I spoke of earlier. But like training an animal, it is all about CONSISTENCY. If you are inconsistent in your animal training, then you will not get good results: the animal is confused by your varying commands. If you consistently tell an animal what you want it to do, then it will be very clear in its mind that you mean business, & you will get good results. It’s the same with our own minds: consistency is king! Telling yourself that you will not allow yourself to think negatively, that you require your mind to think positively, will eventually result in the HABIT of positive thinking. Yes, it will take some time, perhaps many days... after all, most of us have allowed ourselves to think negatively about ourselves for YEARS: we’ve created a deep rut of frequently travelled negative thoughts in our minds! It takes a while to “drive out of the rut” & to get ourselves to think differently. But it can be done. It’s not about getting cross with yourself for thinking negative thoughts, it’s actually about thinking MUCH MORE kindly of yourself. Being gentler with yourself... ... BUT, being CONSISTENT about what you will, or will not allow yourself to dwell on. Transforming our minds from largely negative, self-harming thought patterns to more positive, upbeat, kind thought habits doesn’t usually happen over night, but I & many other people can testify to the fact that taking a stand against your own negative attitude selection is not only possible, it is vital, & it is definitely do-able. It just takes consistency in approach. Saying “No, I’m not going to allow myself to dwell on negative, destructive thoughts, I CHOOSE to think about better things; to think of myself in kinder ways.” Practice ongoing monitoring of our own thought life, with a view to “capturing our thoughts”, will bring our thoughts into line with our desire to experience more & more peace in our mental life. Remember, be kinder to yourself & be consistent in your choice to allow only positive thoughts into your mind.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 16:21:14 +0000
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