At just about every turn we encounter individuals or organisations intent on convincing us what to think. The problem is that too few people have been taught how to think.
Attitudes, decisions and commitments all start with a thought…an idea or a suggestion that comes from an external source.
A thought is little more than acknowledgement of a suggestion. It’s recognition of the fact that we all have much to learn and experience.
We are assailed by thoughts. Thoughts come at any time of the day or night. And they are a mix of positive and negative. Many people are controlled by their thoughts. They live a life of uncertainty and confusion. But that’s because they have never learned how to think.
Thinking is the process of thought evaluation. Thinking is a combination of education and common sense. It’s knowing how to separate the bad thoughts from the good thoughts. And it requires vigilance.
We can be derailed by a random negative thought. Our lives can be disrupted. The difference between a good day and a bad day can be the quality of our thoughts. A day can become a week, a week a month, a month a year, a year a lifetime.
It’s important to take the time to think about our thoughts…where they are coming from, the motivations behind them. It’s equally important not to dwell on thoughts that we recognise as negative or defeatist.
Kneejerk reactions to random thoughts can have lasting consequences. We should think and our thoughts before we act on them.
It’s not enough simply to identify the substance – or lack of it – of our thoughts. We have to take the process further. We have to know and understand why we think what we think. Only then can we make the most appropriate decisions.
It’s worth a thought.
Gary Bentley Counselling 