Being aware of our thoughts...that create our feelings!

I have talked about being aware of our thoughts and how they drive our feelings many times and it is still my favorite topic to discuss. Yes, after reading a book from author Byron Katy Loving What Is, I have still been fascinated. I really want this to sink in for everyone. We have these thoughts, thousands and thousands of them daily and need to be aware of them. Yes, get a hold of that darn brain of ours and be aware of these thoughts. If we don’t, they tend to go wild. These thoughts that are responsible for creating our feelings. Our feelings then drive our actions, and our actions are not always what we want. Think about it. Again, these thoughts that are most often have no truth to them; they are something we just pull out of no where and all of a sudden, we can get into a negative vibe. The thoughts can drive us to act in some way and create results that we do not want. Negative thoughts, negative feelings equal negative emotions. Oh my.

We can have great thoughts of love and appreciation that can be very positive and drive us to do nice things that do create great results. That is a dream and a wonderful way to be. Stay in this vibe lol. Life does happen and we do tend to sometimes let our brain go wild. We simply need to be aware of the thoughts as if we are the outside and ask ourselves “hmmm why am I thinking this”? Is this true? Is there actual proof that this is true? Is this just a hunch? Most often, it is a guess that we made about a situation and need to call it out. I have several clients who have way too many negative thoughts about themselves. I have heard them say “I have no will power”, or “I will always be disorganized”, on and on. Now, how useful are these thoughts? Do we never have will power? No, that is not a true statement. We have will power to do the things we need to do. For instance, get up in the morning and feed the dog. You want your coffee and you do not have to feed the dog. You do because you know it needs to be done. We have will power where we are in commitment to what we want to get done. We need to work on what is keeping us from the commitment of following through on what we want (results that we want). How about, “I will always be disorganized”? If we continue to have thoughts such as this, we will look for proof! Yes, that is right. Our brain will find ways to point out all the things that are disorganized in our environment. Such as a messy panty drawer, a refrigerator, anything to prove the thought is true. Don’t let it keep going. It will continue to find the evidence. Pull that thought out of your brain and look at it! Sounds crazy but I do this. I like to envision a thought like it is sitting in front of me and I am talking to it. Where did you come from? What use are you? What purpose do you serve.

What is hard about our thoughts? They will continue and we need to continue to monitor them. Finding thoughts that can create better feelings that will drive better results. For instance, the thought of “I have no willpower”. Reminding yourself of all the times that you committed to a fast, diet, and or event and followed it through. There is evidence to contradict the thought and move into a different thought. Why is this? If we are beating ourselves up with negative self-talk and not being aware of them, it could drive us into negative feelings, then head into the action of go ahead and eat the pint of ice cream. You have not will power so go ahead, let’s give in. Simply, having negative thoughts, and being aware of the thoughts can help stop the cycle. The goal here is to not let our thoughts and feelings drive our actions and not be aware of it. Be aware of your thoughts. Remember, you subconsciously look for evidence! There is so much talk about being grateful, having a time for gratitude, in our daily lives. This is the main reason. Those who are grateful, spend time finding ways for evidence of their gratefulness. You have heard someone say, “I am grateful that I woke up this morning”, that did not take much effort to find evidence lol. Being grateful creates positive feelings, positive feelings drive us to act in positive ways. Yes, I am going to say it…. let that sink it. Our thoughts create our feelings, and our feelings drive our actions. Our actions create our results. What results do you want?

In closing, I want to share thoughts about my weekend girl’s trip. Yes, a bunch of friends, all 60 or above and we had a blast. The entire trip filled me up with gratitude of their friendship and how we support each other throughout the year. We committed to do a yearly trip each fall. Nice way to have more thoughts that create positive feelings...

Have a beautiful day!