Apr 14, 2020
Today I’d like to talk to you about Managing Your
Thoughts. I know that each of us is spending much more
time “inside our head”, because of the limited
interactions we have on a daily basis due to the effects of the
Covid-19 Virus.
I want to use a Favorite Book of mine as a reference
(and a recommendation) for this discussion. I highly
recommend the book Managing Thought by Mary J. Lore. The
subtitle is Think Differently. Think Powerfully. Achieve New
Levels of Success. I think this book will definitely help you
accomplish those goals. I also agree with the Author that the
book will help you to:
Rethink your path to success
Refocus your goals and priorities
Reframe your negative thoughts
Reignite your creativity
Revitalize your energy
Restore your sense
of purpose
Reclaim your peace of mind
This book talks about a process for Managing Your
Thoughts, but the first 5-6 Chapters (which I will re read on
occasion) really help to set up the argument that You are Not
Your Mind. We’ve talked about
this before on The Daily Mastermind, and it was (frankly) one
of the most listened to Episodes Ever.
I believe this is attributed to the fact that we all
get “stuck inside our head” at times.
But, I really want to talk about managing your
thoughts this week because I am just as concerned and aware
that most of us “don’t manage our thoughts”. In other
words, when we are not actively managing our thoughts, our lives
are still being affected. Managing Your Thought is not just a
topic for people focused on Personal Development. I
believe everyone should be consciously working on their
thoughts because everyone should want to live a life of
happiness and fulfillment.
So, lets discuss this more using some key ideas I
have learned from this book:
Now is the only reality that exists. I love this
thought because to influence your life, you must be present
and accomplish this in the NOW.
Buddha said, We are what we think. All that we
are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we remake the
world. (in the present)
There are 3 Keys to Success in Managing our
Thoughts
1-self awareness
2-self mastery
3-being on purpose
We’ve been taught that our Actions Drive our
Results, but this is not entirely true. I’ve mentioned this
several times, but our Thoughts and Beliefs are what affect
our thoughts. That is why
our Results are Truly driven by our Thoughts and Beliefs that
drive our Actions. (Belief Cycle)
I love the idea that when we are INSPIRED is when we
Achieve Results. The happiness, thankfulness, vision,
purpose, and wonder of possibly is what drive
Creativity and Results.
So, the question we really need to ask ourselves
is whether we are Driving our Thoughts, or are we plagued with
self-doubt, fear, and worry. Are we Reactive (autopilot) or
Proactive with our thoughts?
Eckhart Tolle said, “Thinking has become a
disease. It is not so much that you use yoru mind
wrongly…you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you.
That is the disease. You believe that you are your
mind.”
We need to Understand and Acknowledge that we are
NOT our Minds….
Our Minds or Brains are Tools that are observe, sense,
store, retrieve information.
The key way of using this tool is to be aware of
our minds and the awareness empowers us.
This is the KEY…when we STOP to become Aware, we SHIFT
our minds from the Hypothalamus to the Frontal Cortex of the
Brain. This allows the CEO of our mind to take over and
create many more solutions.
I recommend Practice, Practice, Practice of just
NOTICING your thoughts.
Another key point to understand is that when we CALM
our minds we are far more productive. We all know that
our average daily thoughts are in the neighborhood of
60-100k per day. Creativity literally goes out the window
when we are so overwhelmed or overloaded with thoughts. This
is why is it so difficult to get things done when you
are forcing yourself to come up with solutions during
stressful times. Trust me when I say I Notice and
Experience this often.
The biggest Solution you can have when this happens is
to literally STOP what you are doing and take a break, go for a
walk, do some exercise or meditate. I know from experience
that this is very had to do in the moment, but when you are aware
of your thoughts you will recognize this situation and act on it.
Try it and see how much more productive you can become
when you give you mind a break and create a calm, centered and
creative mind.
Another key thing I like to remind myself of is
that we are also not our Feelings. Our minds and our
feelings are just a reflection of things going on in our world.
BUT (and I emphasize this) our Feelings are an incredible
tool to help us Manage our Minds. They
are a great indicator as to whether or not we are “on
purpose” and moving the right direction.
When our thoughts trigger negative or difficult emotions, it
is a great indication that something is wrong. Maybe we
are not aligned with the best version of ourselves, and maybe we
are not moving in the right direction.
When this happens, STOP and become aware of your
Emotions. When you take a step back and analyze your
emotions, it is a powerful way to take control of the
situation and rather than let it get the best of you. I
do believe we need to allow emotions to take their course
rather than fight them, but its true that you can deal with
them much better when you are not reactive and controlled
by your emotions.
Now, just the reverse can be true with powerful
positive emotions. Plus, Powerful Positive Thoughts
and Emotions can be a real catalyst for Inspiration and
Creativity. That is why we always talk about Positive
Affirmations or Declarations. This is
a way to turn Weak Thoughts and Emotions into Powerful and
Productive Thoughts & Emotions.
Love, Gratitude, and Forgiveness are far more
powerful than Anger, Resentment and Blame.
Saying things like “I am successful” are far more
powerful than “I want to be successful”.
Saying I “should be” is not as powerful as
saying “I choose to be”. Does that make
sense.
Be aware of your Thoughts, Feelings, Emotions and that
awareness will Empower you to Create Massive Change
and Results in your life. Now, I don’t time to really
cover all of this book I am referring to, but there is one other
example I’d like to highlight.
The author refers to the process of Managing Your
Thoughts like that of Pruning a Tree. In order
to truly Grow a Strong Tree, you must Start with Purpose,
Prune the Tree and then Cultivate it Daily. T Harv Eker also
talks about this concept when he says “The Roots Create
the Fruits”. In other words, you can’t just “let it
happen”. You need to consciously and specifically decide what
you want and cultivate and nurture those
results.
I want to encourage you to pick up a copy of this book
and I will do my best to find a time to interview Mary Lore and
maybe we can get into more details on the actual “Process” she
goes through in the book. She covers many topics
in depth that I think will help you go through
eh process of managing your thoughts like:
identifying thoughts that waste time, energy and
money
identifying destructive and diseased
thoughts
how to shape your thoughts
how to ask powerful questions
making powerful statements
daily cultivation
how to manage your energy and spirit
and many many more ideas
Ultimately, I there are many examples, studies,
stories and descriptions that I feel can really help you to lock in
the knowledge and wisdom contained in this topic throughout the
book.
With that said, I want to (once again) encourage
you to Empower yourself by learning to STOP and become
AWARE of your thoughts each day. Practice it this week.
Watch what happens when you make that action to notice your
thoughts. Notice how much more objective you
will become, and notice how much more
productive you will be. Our goal is to help you
create more results in your life, and I hope that this
discussion has given you more inspiration and motivation to do
that.
Remember, it's never too late to start living the
life you were meant to live.
Thanks for joining me today.
George Wright III