The Secret Life of Thoughts

Recently, a friend posed a question that in its simplicity was actually quite difficult to answer.

"How do you change your thoughts so that they are always positive?"

God but I truly wish I had the answer to that one. If I could tell people how to do it without fail, then package and market it...well, the sky would be the limit.

Most of us have heard of "The Secret" by Rhonda Bryne. Many of us have read it. What is it about that little book that has become so powerful? There was nothing about its concepts that were new. Countless people and most philosophers have been talking about them for centuries. Yet for some reason, this book hit a chord with millions of people worldwide. The packaging and marketing was in my opinion brilliant. With pages which resembled old parchment and script that was made to look like a plume had been used, it took on the mystery of ancient manuscript. It gave one the sense that they had found a treasure.

Yet, what did the book actually promote? To me, the book promoted the idea that people can truly change their lives if they wanted to. It sold the masses a sense of hope.

While we address our normal everyday existence, where one hour bleeds into the next, it is very easy to lose sight of what makes us happy. Our world becomes focused on the external and the next thing we need to do or get. We are mired in the day to day challenges of career and family which take an enormous amount of energy just to make it through. Its no wonder we find that though the concepts are appealing, they can be difficult to put into practice.

Changing the pattern in which we think is not something that happens overnight. It can only begin by first being aware that thought process itself is negative. But what about the thought itself, is it that makes it negative? Well, for one thing, if a thought's residual affect is oppressive, then perhaps one needs to look at why? We have all been around people who are so negative that it is painful to have a conversation with them. Everything, from their posture to the manner in which they speak screams heaviness. But the truth is they themselves don't see it. They have become so accustomed to how they express themselves that they are comfortable within their own armour.

I am not suggesting that everyone can be positive all the time. After all, there are unexpected things that happen and daily frustrations in which we give ourselves permission to wallow in self pity. The difference is catching ourselves when it happens. The more we become aware of those moments and dismiss them, the quicker they disappear til at some point they cease to exist altogether, unless something that is truly wrong requires our attention.

But how does one stay positive while dealing with the stresses of daily life?

The fact that the question would even be asked, in my opinion tells me that they are finally aware that there is a change they would like to make in how they perceive their life. They have taken the first step. It is only a matter of time before they come to trust themselves and realize that only they have the power to understand how their thoughts create the life they live.