Pay attention to what you are thinking today and understand that you are not your thoughts!

Thank you for this reminder--I was getting lost in my bizarre thoughts that I have of myself (the ones that keep me from doing and being). Thanks .

Oh, and btw, You "ARE" the Goose . I like your sig.

Go one step further! Once you realize how bad your thoughts are and you start to train yourself to actually pay attention to your thoughts focus on training your mind to think positive thoughts.

Your brain can only hold one thought at a time so the trick is to pay attention to the thought and when you have a bad thought to consciously switch it to a good thought. It takes a lot of practice but it works. I am much more positive and optimistic than I used to be. Simply by controlling my thoughts. Its one of the most powerful things in your life that you actually can control.

Dude

My thoughts are positive so I am going to pay attention! No room for negativity in this pea brain! LOL Kidding! I am strong, I am capable of much more than I believe, I am commited, I am focused, I am loving, and I am kind. Thats just a few thoughts as I get ready to eat my 4th meal and hit the spin bike for about 30 minutes! I gotta be able to keep up with Mighty Marty at the Denver Marathon! LETS BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD!!!

You know, when I first read the title to your post, I read "PRAY attention to your thoughts."
I think I'm on to something there!

Amy

When I first started this process, I heard the saying "Don't believe everything that you think". It couldn't have been more true.

Pay careful attention to what you say to yourself, because you are listening. :->

I totally agree with you about the fact that you are not your thoughts if your thoughts are negative. As children of God we know we have unlimited potential and negative thoughts come from the advisary to discourage and derail us. At the same time it is important to realize that " As a man thinketh so is he." We are who we are and what we are today because of the prominent thoughts of our past. Greatfully we as transformation members are better today because as of recent we have better thoughts of who we are and where we are going. Tomarrow we will all be even better because of all the good thoughts we are sharing today and because Bill has challenged us to focus on our progression not perfection. See yourself with the eye of faith. BE the change in your minds eye and the results will follow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichelleT When I first started this process, I heard the saying "Don't believe everything that you think". It couldn't have been more true. Pay careful attention to what you say to yourself, because you are listening. :->

That was great, I never thought of that before, but it so true!

Next time I have negative thoughts, I will dispute them, and actively try not to belive them.

I had this aha-moment not long ago, about the connection between my emotions and my thoughts, it's kind of hard to explain, but I'll try, because it's really useful

Usually you start with a negative thought (maybe you are not even aware of the thought it self), then you start feeling bad or sad or other kind of negative emotions, and then maybe you want to do something like eating a cookie, drinking alcohol, skip exercise or something else destructive, you are feeling kind of sorry for your self. Its like a bad circle. Sometimes you are not even aware of the circle, you just go for the cookie and don't think about why

Ok, so it's three steps. 1, negative thoughts. 2, bad emotions. 3, destructive action.

So I read this new article that said (since we are those complicated human beings we are) these three steps not always are in that order. Our brains have followed this steps so many times so now it can make it's own connections. For an example, if you see a cookie you might get the impulse to eat it, when you do, you feel guilty, then you start thinking bad thoughts about yourself (stupid me, why did I eat that cookie, I've ruined everything). So in this case the steps are in this order: 3,2,1.
An other example is, that you suddenly feel sad or negative (this article explained that sometimes, in spite of what they thought before, bad emotions not always has to start with a thought) then when you feel sad, your mind is then going to think about something negative, and that makes you do something destructive.
So these steps can be in all kinds of combinations.

The good part is that you can use this to change your thoughts! It actually gives you more tools to change them!
If it's hard to pay attention to your thoughts all the time, so you can also pay attention to what you feel, and what you do.

If you feel negative, stop for a moment and you don't have to analyze why, just think "it's a message from my feelings that I need to change my thoughts".
If you do something destructive, do the exact same thing. Think something like "it's a message from my inner self that I need to change my thoughts".

So don't focus on the feelings or the destructive behavior, use them as reminders to change your thoughts. They bad feelings and behavior, will go away when you change your thoughts.

So I know that "just change your thoughts" is easier said, than done. And I'm right now trying to figure out how to think better thoughts, and exploring how to use this way of thinking my self, but I wanted to share this because I thought it was really interesting.


I'm sure you have heard this before, but as a reminder:
Over 95 percent of the thoughts we have today, are the exact same as we had yesterday. So in order to change, we have to change our thoughts.

Thanks Petronella - thats brilliant, and just what i needed. Thank you for sharing.

Very cool- I will change my ACTIONS right now from baking toll house cookies to baking zucchini bread so that I will satisfy the need for comfort snack and kids hunger and still FEEL like a good June Cleaverish Mom all while maintaining a commitment to health and clean eating which in turn will make me FEEL great!

FYI:
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread
2 ½ C. whole wheat flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 eggs
½ C. vegetable oil
½ C. unsweetened applesauce
2 C. Splenda or Stevia
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. grated zucchini
Handful of semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together first 5 ingredients (flour through cinnamon). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Beat well with an electric mixer. Stir in zucchini. Add flour mixture in batches and stir until just combined (do not over mix).
3. Spray 2 regular size loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans with nonstick spray (bottom and sides). Bake in the center of the oven for approximately 50 minutes for 4 mini loafs or 65-75 minutes for 2 regular loaves. Cool slightly, run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the bread from the sides, and remove from pan. Cool on wire rack or seal in plastic wrap to lock in moisture.

I like to mentally analyze things, and this often leads to a downward spiral of negative thoughts - usually about things in the past that are over or worry about things in the future. Something that I've been doing lately to break that train of thought is to repeat a simple, one-word mantra over and over to myself. This can be any word, but what I like to use is "Peace" or "Quiet" or "Jesus" - a calming and soothing word. This helps to do 2 things - it stops the negative thought process from escalating, and it forces me to focus on the Now of my life - the only real moment that I can have an impact on.

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he......" Ancient wisdom.... does it mean anything for our transforming lives today??.........Our thoughts do have an impact on us.......I think a very big impact.....self-fulfilling prophecies start with thoughts....simple thoughts......thoughts can drag us down, or lift us up to one degree or another......they can bring health and healing or they can bring sadness and dispair, even death.....What if our thoughts need to be transformed???? so that we can transform fully?? Look into the heart, where the well spring of life is....then we learn the root of our very thoughts......takes courage...can be painful, a heart surgery of sorts....but in the end.....releases the freedom to BE, and the freedom to become.........! Ahhh, the ancient wisdom....still speaks today! Think on the lovely, the pure, the noble.....the beautiful.....how can this be done???? By looking into the heart....willing to go under the Heart Surgeon's knife so to speak!

My thoughts are sometimes helpful, and most of the time hurtful to some of my goals. I have a smoking habbit among other things, that just doesn't quit. I am the only person my age, that I know, in my town of 14,000 people, who doesn't drink,.. that has decided to quit the boofage, quit the cigarettes, and to continue towards my path of whatever it is. I used to think I was going to be a rockstar,,...not the life for me. I will make albums, I just don't want the circus. I also was going to be a pro bodybuilder like Jay and Ron,.., but since finding out that i have small wrists,.. I'm an underweight 5-11 lanky Ectomorph with a bum knee, and that you can't unless you do steroids like all the other winners for the last 30 years,........finding a contest like this,..really makes a different avenue for an outlet of awe,....because that would mean that I can actually compete in a body building contest without taking steroids,..and that RULES!!!!!!! just wish I didn't break my left knee,....because forward thigh extensions are absolutely rough on the knee with NO WEIGHT yet,.......because I had no physical therapy. I will still beat on it non the less!
I would like to win, feel like I can win,...don't know if I will,....but it sure is fun and inspiring to endeavor while the iron is hot. the time is NOW!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

thank you for the posts and this thread--it has helped me today .

I have learned my brain is like this tape recorder of events and feelings. When certain feelings come up so do certain thoughts, usually followed by the self defeating actions which have me in the state I am working to get out of. So I am paying attention to what events trigger these feelings and thoughts and changing my actions. Old tapes have to be erased and replaced with positive messages of love and acceptance.

My Thoughts Are I Will Not Stop What I Have Started!

Something else worth remembering when we're talking about negative self-talk ...
remember "YOU ARE NOT YOUR STORY"

:0)

Thanks raider you always have what I need to hear!