The Power Of Thoughts: How Our Mind Shapes Emotions, Behaviour And The Way We Experience Life

Most of us have this habit to blame circumstances for the way we feel. Like, if we are having a difficult day, facing an unpleasant person or having a disappointing conversation… we end up saying “This is why I am disturbed.” But, is it really the situation that creates our state of mind, or is it what we think about that situation? Our mind is like a huge reservoir, constantly storing thoughts, memories, experiences and emotions. Throughout the day, thoughts keep coming to us, some positive, some negative, some useful and some completely unnecessary. We cannot always control which thought knocks at the door of our mind, but we can certainly decide which thought deserves to be invited inside. And that decision, small as it seems, is one of the most powerful choices we make all day.

Just think of the intellect as a filter between our thoughts and our actions. Now, when a thought comes, the intellect has the opportunity to pause and ask a simple question: “Is this thought helping me, or is it hurting me?”. That pause can change everything. Suppose a thought comes, “I am not good enough.” Another thought follows: “Nobody really likes me.” Soon, we begin behaving as though these thoughts are facts. And, we withdraw, lose self- confidence, become sensitive over small things, and perhaps even perceive rejection where it doesn't really exist. In short, the thought creates a feeling. The feeling influences our behaviour. Our behaviour creates an experience and that experience is then stored back in the mind as another memory. Now before we realize it, one negative thought has become a pattern. This is why the quality of our thinking matters so much. But here is the good news, a pattern that was created by thinking can also be broken by thinking. The same intellect that allowed a negative thought to settle in, can learn to question it. What it simply needs is practice and awareness.  Remember! most of our suffering does not come from what happens to us. It comes from the story we tell ourselves about what happened. So, if we change the story even slightly, the suffering begins to lose its grip. The reservoir of the mind will keep receiving thoughts. That cannot be stopped. But what we store, what we dwell on, and what we let go, that is entirely in our hands. And that, perhaps, is the most liberating truth.

(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal, USA, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and Mauritius. To date 9800+ Published Columns have been written by him. You can reach out to him at nikunjji@gmail.com or visit www.brahmakumaris.com)