95% of your thoughts are exactly the same thoughts you had yesterday …
I’ve been thinking about… thinking. Our minds never stop. That little voice in your head? It’s always running—especially when you’re trying to fall asleep.
It’s important because the 12,000-60,000 or so thoughts you have every day – your ideas, agreements, views, opinions, beliefs – determine the quality of your life. Your thoughts are the set of options you use for making decisions, taking action, and how you live your life. I think. I feel. I know. I like. I believe. They run the show. These thoughts shape your decisions, your actions, and ultimately, your reality.
But here’s the catch: 95% of those thoughts are just recycled from yesterday. And the day before. And last week. And last month. And 80% of them are negative. (National Science Foundation, 2005)
The box in which you think always has you
Your brain thinks, and you experience the thoughts. But are they actually yours? Or do your thoughts come in an already set box of ideas, agreements, views, oinherited opinions, and habitual beliefs?
Let’s say you’re not happy, and so you change the circumstances of your life – get a new job, start meditating or leave your partner. I guarantee that the quality of your life won’t change one little bit. And that’s because the box in which you think still has you, and your life. Change the circumstances all you want. There is no possibility for happiness inside your already set box of thoughts.
You might disagree with me by saying, “My experience has proven… Everyone knows that … I read … I believe … It’s common knowledge that …” More of the same old thoughts, and they won’t make one bit of difference to your happiness and quality of life. Many options, but no possibility for happiness.
When WAS the last time you thought for yourself?
You say, “I think.” I say, “Do you, really!?” Try this: Stand in the statement, “I don’t think for myself.” Just sit with it. See what shifts. Maybe—just maybe—you’ll begin to realise you’ve spent your whole life pushing a door that says “PULL.”
And, if you really think you’re in control of your thinking, stop thinking for a few seconds. Go on. See? You can’t.
