Hope Filled Mind Control EP 331

We’ve all heard that our thoughts matter. There are lots of idioms like “what you think about you bring about”, “thoughts become things” and a quote from Buddha that goes like this: "What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create." — Buddha So you likely know that your thoughts are part of what determines what you life will be like. This was a hard concept for me to understand the first time I heard it. What do you mean, I can just think different thoughts and change my life?  It didn’t just seem far-fetched, it felt impossible. I didn’t feel like I had much control over my life. I had a job with a boss who was okay, but it was clear what I needed to do each day. I had bills to pay and I didn’t have a lot of free time or cash so dreaming about options honestly felt out of reach.  A mentor at work suggested I just change the narrative I had around a difficult co-worker. Instead of telling myself she was manipulative and unkind (see really was!) he said to change that to something like “Her actions have nothing to do with me, and I don’t have to respond to her comments.  Now, this didn’t feel like a complete lie like saying something like we’re best friends would have, but it did change my perspective. Most importantly, I was no longer blaming her actions for my feelings. I got to decide.  That’s when I realized that changing the way I thought didn’t change her, but it changed the dynamic and energy around it for ME. That was enough.  When it comes to being hopeful, we get to choose what we think about in the moment. This isn’t about painting a happy face when things aren’t going as we’d like. It’s about seeing things honestly and THEN asking “what is the next best step for me in this moment”? What thoughts would best support me? Sometimes it’s as easy and thinking, things aren’t going as planned, but I know I’ll be able to manage OR I’m hopeful things will improve and I’m going to look for one tiny thing to help move that along.  It’s a practice and some days I get lost in a spiral of doom and then, I’ll stop and decide to think a new thought. My go to transition thought is I can decide to see this in a new way.  That takes pressure off having it all figured out and tells my subconscious I’m open to seeing things differently. It’s not a magic 8 ball kind of thing, but it does help me feel better in the moment, and often that, for me, makes the biggest impact.  Thoughts become things, choose good ones. – Mike Dooley