“What we see in the world is no more and no less a reflection of what is unseen inside of ourselves.”
– Joseph Ranseth
The way you think shapes your reality.
Thoughts are clearly powerful tools designed to help us navigate life. However, thoughts are only as powerful as the meaning and importance you give them.
Let’s look at what thoughts are, why they matter, and how you can change the way you think – and ultimately upgrade your quality of life.
Content Overview
⦁ What Are Thoughts: How Our Thoughts Are Shaped
⦁ How Thoughts Work?
⦁ Our Thoughts Patterns Are On Repeat
⦁ Why The Way You Think Can Change Your Life
⦁ The Effects of Positive Vs. Negative Thinking
⦁ How To Reframe The Way You Think And Upgrade Your Life
⦁ You’re In Control
What Are Thoughts: How Our Thoughts Are Shaped
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To simplify, thoughts or thinking is the mental process to make sense of what you are experiencing.
A thought is not a random, unexplained thing that suddenly happens to you; it is the result of a split-second chain reaction of chemicals, electrical impulses, ‘planned’ actions, and triggered reactions all coming together at once.
Our brain is made up of about 100 billion neurons, which generate electrical impulses so we can communicate. The neurons release neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that spread by firing up relaying signals in the neurons around them. All of the neurons firing together in the same formation merge to form a thought.
The brain uses about 30% of its energy for maintenance (breathing, motion, etc.), while the rest is reserved for thoughts and feeding neurons.
How Thoughts Work
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Our brain is like a massive supercomputer, capable of processing 6,200 thoughts per day, and storing up to 2.5 million GB of information in a single lifetime. We have an average of 6.5 thought transitions per minute, and can only think about 4 things at once.
Unless we’re focusing on something specific, most thoughts are generated by a trigger of some kind. This trigger kicks off a chemical reaction in our brain which uses neuron clustering to make an appropriate decision. Judgment about that decision is based on previous similar decisions and the thought processes that went into them.
Your thoughts loop through a continuous cycle that renews every time you give attention to something. Once attention has taken hold, thoughts start to form, and then you decide how you feel about that thought. You can be proactive about it or simply react.
Whatever you choose shapes your reality.
This endless loop will continue until you learn how to approach your thoughts differently.
Our Thoughts Patterns Are On Repeat
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When we think about our experiences and the things we did (or didn’t do) to shape their outcome, we repeat the pattern of words that trigger and give meaning to our thoughts. We carry these patterns with us and let them guide our future thoughts and decisions.
Repeated patterns are memorized and re-used. That’s why we keep repeating the same behaviors (such as managing a situation in the same way); the thought processes that go into making a decision are based on remembered ways of doing this before.
This is also how habits are formed.
Why The Way You Think Can Change Your Life
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Thoughts are the starting point for action. Even when you think you’re just reacting to something, your brain has already had the thought that caused the reaction to happen.
While you can’t control exactly what thoughts pop up in your head, you can control what meaning you give to them.
The Effects of Positive Vs. Negative Thinking
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Negative thoughts have a negative impact on your health and wellbeing and are reactive in nature. Positive thoughts have a positive impact on your body and your brain, and result in proactive movement or decisions.
Most people experience negative thought patterns up to 80% of the time, with 95% of those thoughts being repetitive. Because thinking (as an action) is not something we give much thought to, you could be repeating the same negative thoughts to yourself more than 5,000 times a day!
Fortunately, positive thoughts can be triggered, too. When we’re happy, we breathe easier and are more relaxed. Nature’s ‘happy hormones’ (dopamine and serotonin) flow in abundance, influencing our thoughts, decisions, and actions in a positive way. Just thinking about a happy moment or remembering that things could be worse has the power to energize and restore low levels of these two chemicals. This can improve your sleep, mood, appetite, focus, motivation, and support emotional stability.
How To Reframe The Way You Think And Upgrade Your Life
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To change the direction of your thoughts, you must first be aware of the triggers that activate your thought patterns. The following are few simple tips to question your thinking patterns and embrace new ways.
1. Practice reframing
In “The Power of Reframing”, Tony Robbins talks about the meanings people attach to specific moments (events, interactions, or outcomes) and how this meaning changes the way you feel about that moment. These feelings and meanings stay with you throughout your life and influence your thoughts in an effort to guide you in making decisions.
Changing your outlook on things will change how you feel and act. A problem can be a challenge, something that didn’t turn out well can be a lesson, etc. Remembering and appreciating everything you have can also make you feel grateful rather than disappointed for what you do not have.
2. Make mindfulness a habit
Mindfulness is the art of being fully aware, present, and actively involved in what’s going on now, but without giving the moment any emotion or meaning until you have processed and made sense of it. It helps you to observe and accept your thoughts – and practice letting things go without judgment.
When we worry we’re often in the past or in the future. It’s only when you’re present you can appreciate the beauty in the small things and each moment.
3. Question your thinking
Metacognition – the art of thinking about your thinking – was developed in the 1980s as a way for researchers to study how young children develop and learn. The basis for the theory is to be intentional and aware of how you think and learn to be able to improve.
Ask yourself the following questions the next time you feel a negative reaction as a result of a thought you just had to understand what’s causing it:
● What’s going on that makes me feel this way?
This brings your awareness of self to the front and delays the automatic emotional attachment you’re used to assigning to the same thought patterns.
● What do I already know about this situation?
This will help you examine your current thinking so you can determine how you managed a similar thought pattern before.
● What is most confusing to me about this situation?
This line of questioning will help you identify stumbling blocks to clearer thinking.
● How has my thinking changed (or not changed) over time regarding this issue? Recognizing change means you can adjust your thinking at certain points, before it translates into behavior.
● What about the way I was thinking worked well enough to change the outcome so I can remember to do it again next time?
Acknowledging your own growth gives you a chance to feel good about the accomplishment, so you’ll attach even more positive thoughts to it the next time you have a similar thought pattern.
Each time you find yourself thinking in old ways, remind yourself that you are trying to change. Find a catch-phrase – a safe word – that will ground you and bring you back to the beginning so you can better guide your line of thinking.
4. Embrace new habits and perspectives
Attach new habits to old ways of thinking. Try new things and meet new people that challenge you to think of things outside of your comfort zone. A little like learning to write with your opposite hand, new thought patterns that fire in before-unused areas of your brain open new, unused pathways. This is already enough to get you thinking differently!
Celebrate your progress once you know you’ve successfully turned a negative thought process into a positive one.
You’re In Control
At the end of the day, you are in control of how you feel, and how you make sense of that. Be more aware of what that looks like to you and know that no situation has the power to control your experience.
More inspiration on how to become the best version of yourself? Learn more about why you’re not getting what you want in life or how to design a life you love.
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