What is The Work?
The work is every tool I’ll be writing about over the coming months, but it all comes back to your thoughts. So lets begin the introduction to the work with these key thought tools.
“Your thoughts are the master key to every door in the mansion of your mind”
~Herietta
Our most empowering tool is to notice our thoughts. We must question our every thought if we want to eradicate negative and self degrading thinking! We must simply be aware of our every thought. Yes, this work is hard, but believe it or not, with practice, it will be second nature for you just as it is for me. (& I still practice everyday)
How do you challenge your thoughts?
First it requires an awareness of the thought, at first the awareness may come via the emotion you are feeling. Maybe you feel sad, discouraged, depressed. These emotions are indicators of thoughts left unchecked; thoughts that don’t serve you. At this point, it’s too late, those thoughts have already been accepted by you and created chemical responses in your body, but that’s ok because it’s a good starting point. It’s important to be introduced to the awareness by the indicators and from there you can grow into catching the thought before it causes pain.
Now I know the age old argument, about depression just popping up out of nowhere with no explanation. Don’t worry if that’s where you are, it’s just another belief and I had it too. The belief that nothing is causing the sadness, that you just have it. But stick with this long enough, this awareness of thoughts, and you will see indeed, every pain you’ve ever felt was due to a thought you were thinking. And maybe that’s your first step, maybe that’s where you’ll focus for a while, just in the place of evicting that belief. And when you’re ready, move on the questions we use to challenge them.
What questions to have around your thoughts?
Say “No!” (to the thoughts that are causing you pain) It’s time to show your thoughts who is boss!
If the thought still sticks around, ask “Is this thought true?”
A. If the answer is, “No” then dismiss the thought. Tell it, “No!” and take back the control of your emotions.
B. If the answer is, “Yes” ask, “Can I control this thing that is making me upset or not?”
a. If you can control it, then take action. Do something that makes you feel better.
b. If it is out of your control, then surrender & dismiss the thought. (“Negative emotions arise when we think we have control over that which we have no control.”)
C. If the answer is, “Maybe” Then it’s probably a thought that has to do with the future (such as worrying about a possible outcome) or maybe it’s a thought about what someone else is thinking about you. Either way, anytime the answer is “maybe” you get to choose! You get to choose what lie you want to believe; such as what lie you want to tell about your future or what lie you want to believe someone is thinking about you (it’s a lie because you can never tell the truth about the future which hasn’t happened yet, and you can never truly know what someone is thinking about you. So whatever you believe will be a lie.) So if you’re going to believe a lie, why not lie something wonderful!? Why not reverse the thought process by believing in a positive future or that someone is actually thinking uplifting thoughts about you?
Now there are many other tools I’ve been learning, but this one is the foundation!
So I wonder, will you do the work along with me?
Go to this post if you want extra motivation to keep doing the work, even when it gets hard. Afterall, it is called “work” for a reason!