Category: Expressionism

Can we really train our thought process?

Since writing Creating Thoughts That Serve You!, I have been more aware of the thoughts that are going through my head.  At first it was a little shocking .  I consider myself to be one of the most positive people in the world.  Yet here I was, thinking thoughts of how people don’t want to be around me.  Pretty silly huh?

Not really.  The untended mind’s thoughts are free to roam around to any subject or replay any past experience  unless I reign them in.  I could think of thoughts as horses.  Wild horses.  Brilliant and beautiful wild horses.

I can make friends with a horse and gently train her to serve me.  I can eventually guide her toward an adventure along the mountain  narrow paths of Yosemite.  In this way the horse serves me.  Similarly, thoughts can be gently trained each day to serve.  Who knows where that might lead to.  Who knows where my thoughts might take me?

Three Steps to guide the thought process?

1. Journalling with abandon! Writing allows thoughts to flow from my hands.  It is an amazing mystery.  A thought with no physicality becomes physical as it appears on an empty screen or paper.  Even more mysterious is how thoughts can turn into events.  An important book, Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, recommends writing three pages a day.  It is suggested that these pages are written with free abandon. In the three pages,  am not trying to impress anyone or anything.  As I write and let my thoughts trust me enough to flow, I build a relationship with my mind.  And, something else happens.  I begin to realize that there is another “someone” observing these thoughts.  I begin to realize that there is a bigger me than the wild untamed me.  I begin to see a me (the sane one) and a me that is my ego (the crazy one, or I would like to say, the lesser of the sane ones).  Writing 3 pages a day is a wonderful exercise and almost a meditation in the mystery always evolving within.
2. Blogging with consistency! It is so easy to give up writing, especially when you think no one is paying attention.  Yet, blogging can be a personal growth process.  When I write this blog, I can only imagine who will be reading my thoughts.  You are reading, but I don’t know much about you.  I can’t tailor my thoughts to what I perceive you want to hear.  I do know you are human and so with a new sort of abandon. I offer you my heart.  There is something else  I wish to communicate from my best self, so I work a bit harder in writing to you and edit what I write.  In this attempt, I am more aware of my thoughts and the progress I am making in guiding them to serve me … and others.
3. Taking a good look in the mirror!  I pass a mirror so many times a day without using it’s power.Thoughts that do not serve me, easily appear:  Am I fat?  Do I look old?  Wish my legs weren’t so bowl-legged!  I don’t look so bad.  Yeah, I look pretty good! These are the wild thoughts that are freely roaming about, making me feel good or bad about myself without my consent.  These are the thoughts that may not serve me.  With a little bit of consciousness, I can use a mirror to meet up with the sane one .  I can look right into my eyes and have a moment of great humor, spark, joy, confidence.  I can also gently guide my mind to understand that these are the types of thoughts I prefer.  I can become aware of thoughts during the day and gently guide my mind back to harmony within me!

Today is my 72nd Birthday. So much fun!   I look forward to an eternity of expanding thoughts into wonderful creations.  Thank you for sharing part of my day.  Hope these comments are as helpful to you as they are for me!