OK, this blog is actually a dare to look at the truthfulness of your thoughts! We assume our thoughts are truthful and a reflection of reality but if you listen carefully, you might find that many of your thoughts are only echoes of what others have said! This is part of the 'brain washing' Allen Carr talks about! In order to get rid of the negative thoughts and save the positive, you have to do a little research. You have to pay attention to your thoughts and develop an ability to "listen objectively"! This could be a full-time job because your mind creates thoughts constantly. Some solve problems. Some paralyze us with fear. Some help us shine the light for others and some help us steer our ship safely. Our thoughts are just a moment in time, existing only in the synapses of our brain. They are less real than reality TV but we treat them like they're the breaking news.
While it might seem overwhelming and complicated, understanding the mind and sorting helpful thoughts from negative perceptions isn't so difficult. Believe it or not, there are only seven types of thoughts. Understanding begins with observing your thoughts and learning to differentiate one type from the other. Thoughts are:
*Observations about the present moment. "I smell smoke!"
*Memories of past moments. "I always smoked more when I drank beer!"
*Judgements about things. "I loved smoking!"
*Story telling thoughts that try to explain things. "My boyfriend smoked so I started."
*Future thoughts develop scenarios for things that haven't occurred. There are three different kinds of future thoughts.
Planning: "I will quit on September 18th."
Fantasy: "If someone paid me $200 a week, it would be easy to quit!"
Fortune-telling: "I am going to gain weight if I quit!"
So begin observing your thoughts, particularly those thoughts that are negatively influencing your ability to quit or maintain your quit! Future blogs will address how different kinds of thoughts can be harmful or helpful! The more you know about your thoughts the more you will be able to control your responses. I think you will be surprised how many of your thoughts are not truthful! Take another look at the examples....How many do you think are truth?
