Right Action Starts with Right Thought
What are you thinking right now?
Sit and observe the content of your thoughts. Observe and observe and observe. Especially notice any thoughts that say “This is stupid” or “This isn’t working”. Listen as your thoughts trail off to what you were thinking about before you read this post — Sex, Drugs, Rock n Roll, whatever. Hear the sounds of you catching your thinking: “Hold on.. is that what I’m thinking?”
Think the thought “Wow, it’s hot in here.” Observe your body’s reaction to the thought. Really do this. I’ll wait.
Now, think the thought “Wow, it’s a little chilly in here.” Observe the reaction again. No rush.
Did the actual temperature of your surrounding change based on the thoughts? No, probably not. Can you see how you may think thoughts that have no bearing on the situation?
Think of a happy moment in your life. Observe your body’s reaction. Can you feel the positive emotions flow through your body?
Now, think of a negative moment. Observe your body’s reaction. Can you feel the difference in the energy of the thoughts?
Important Sidenote:
One common issue for people is rumination — the holding onto negative thoughts. At this time, if the moment you thought of for this exercise has stayed with you, practice what you have learned here.
Observe the thoughts that arise spontaneously. Do not fight the thoughts. Resentment of the thought patterns is just another type of unhappiness.
Observe the thoughts and realize that, like the temperature in the room, the thoughts in themselves have no consequence in reality. If the pain that continues originates solely in a past event, direct your attention to the present moment — the room you reside in, the position of your hands, the noises you hear. Here, you are likely in no immediate danger. You can take deep, attentive breathes and calm yourself and come to peace.
It is here, in the present, that you live. Not the past. The only door the past has to the present is though your thoughts. Close that door.
If the unhappy circumstance that you thought of is occurring currently, once again return your attention to what is happening in the present moment. Right now (and now, and now, and now…). Realize that your spontaneous thoughts about the present are usually no more valid than thoughts about the past. Moreover, most thoughts are not directed at relieving the pain, but actually amplify it.
Embrace the power that you wield in the present moment, and take action to relieve your suffering.
If the pain is caused by something unmendable, such as the death of a loved one, do you best to accept that the pain exists, and do not make resentment of the pain an additional form of unhappiness. Like a physical wound, the pain exists and will exist until it heals. The body has mechanisms to heal, but it will take time.
Thoughts and the Situation
Do you see how the brain thinks continuously? More often than not, thoughts come up spontaneously, without volition.
Now consider their validity. In our example, we use conscious (intentional) thoughts, but unconscious (spontaneous) thoughts can be just as incorrect. Inaccuracy of thought to reality can be easily seen in an anorexic person’s view of their body as “too fat” even though that body may actually be dangerously underweight. Less simple to see, but just as inaccurate, is a common thought of oneself being “not enough” — not worthy, popular, handsome, the list goes on. Your brain may sound absolutely sure of such declarations, there is no way to know for certain such qualitative assessments.
Sidenote:
Often such mistaken qualitative assessments become self-fulfilling prophecies (and thus seem to be a fair representation of reality). Take, for example, a woman who believes she is not smart enough to succeed in a pursuit of higher education. This belief is not the truth. The truth would only be exposed if she attended a school of higher education and examined the results.
Instead, based on her belief, she decides to not attempt any further academic pursuits. From a moral standpoint, the decision to halt academic pursuit is neither good or bad, but let’s examine the woman’s mental state.
While the truth of the situation is that she does not know how she would fare at higher education, she believes that she would do poorly due to some fault or disadvantage of her own. Undoubtedly, this causes negative emotions which pollutes the body with stress.
Obviously, observing and verifying her thoughts would bring the woman ease.
Now consider the energy that is produced by thoughts. When the thinking is positive, it’s almost as if every cell in your body is in a state of joy. Elation in your chest, maybe a tingling in your extremities. But negative energy is just as pervasive. It’s almost as if every cell in your body is experiencing pain. Negative thoughts cause stress. It is known that stress can cause physical ailments and disease. Can you see that unobserved thoughts, when negative, lead to mental and physical pain?
Sidenote:
Moreover, when a person is stressed, they are more likely to act in such a way that induces stress in others around them. Crying, shouting, passive-aggressive sullenness — all of these cause stress in anyone who comes across the original unhappy person. In this way, negative mental states pollute more people than just the original thinker, and are that more dangerous.
What’s the point?
With this information, you are now equipped to be aware of your thoughts. Once you are aware of your thoughts, you will be able to see evaluate whether they aid or prevent your from taking Right Action.
