Wisdom for the day: April 26, 2020

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” -Buddah

We can’t control what thoughts pop into our heads throughout the day, we can however choose what thoughts we give credence to, the thoughts we identify with and grant power.

This provides us evidence we are not our thoughts contrary to what some believe. We are separate, the observer; we might tell ourselves, wow, that was a dark thought or, where the heck did that thought come from?

Often we likely are bothered by unwanted thoughts but as the observer can tell ourselves we choose not to identify with them, visualizing the act of touching them in the sky with a long pole, acknowledging their presence then letting them drift away. Distracting ourselves with another thought or activity also helps clear our heads of them.

The thoughts we let have influence over us shape our perspective, our personality, our way of being, which in turn affects how we relate to others and correlates with our actions. We let ourselves become what we think to a large degree creating either an optimistic or pessimistic outlook.

The cool thing is, reshaping our thoughts is absolutely possible by utilizing positive affirmations, thought stopping, meditating, journaling or other paradigm shifting coping methods.

As we sculpt our best selves, our positive mind states creates the possibility of joy, which, if nurtured and maintained, can create profound and lasting change in our lives.

Brandon