Thought control and what do you think about?

[Fergal]

Do you ever think about the thoughts that you have in your mind, with a view to improving them? I sometimes find myself thinking negative thoughts and other things that will not help my general well-being or business success. I try to catch myself doing this and replace the negative thoughts with more positive and constructive ones.

Is this something you experience?

Do you have any suggestions as to how you improve your thinking in a way that helps you achieve your desired success?

[samklein]

One of the most important characteristics in both business and life is self-management. If you can become aware of yourself and recognize when you're becoming mad, angry, or depressed you can break the cycle and ask yourself, "why?" It is by no means easy, but if you can develop it to a point where you understand your emotions and what causes them you'll put yourself into a position where you can best manage and live your life.

[lentrepot]

In the book "The Secret," it says that "Thoughts become things." This is why we should focus on the positive things and eliminate negativity in our lives. This will create a more peaceful environment for all of us.

[Fergal]

All very true, I believe. We become what we think about, so it is important to pay close attention to and carefully manage our thoughts. It's something that I've been giving attention to recently and I've been making an effort to improve my thoughts, in the belief that better thoughts will lead to better outcomes.

[ShawnLim]

Very true. The first step to changing your thought pattern is to first notice the pattern.
If you're not aware that you're thinking negatively, how in the world are you going to change it?
"You cannot fix something that you don't know is broken." - from unknown.

[johndale]

I've tried diverting my negative thoughts into positive thoughts. It's helpful in getting things done. It became my motivation after all.

[samklein]

I couldn't remember the name of what I was talking about in my first response, but I remembered it today! 'Emotional Intelligence' is being able to recognize when your emotions start to take control and being able to pullback on the reigns and ask yourself, "What is going wrong here? Why am I getting upset/excited/frustrated? What is the most effective way to solve this problem without letting my emotions go haywire?"

[Fergal]

Thanks for that Sam, is emotional intelligence something you have read up on yourself? I found this interesting article on emotional intelligence on Wikipedia.

[ShawnLim]

Well, from the teachings of Anthony Robbins, he said that when you are thinking about negative thoughts, it will be too late for you to change it.

Of course you can still do some pattern interrupt to change it, but most of the time it will be too late. You will be in reaction when you think about the negative thought.

Therefore, the best way is to condition your subconscious by thinking positive thoughts most of the time. We simply cannot avoid thinking negatively, but we definitely can reduce the amount.

There are actually a few factors that will determine your emotions, here are some...

1. Your thoughts - what you think or focus on in your mind

2. The words you use - "I'm angry with you!" will produce different emotional intensity than using the word, "i'm a little annoyed with you"

3. The questions you ask in your mind - do you notice that your mind actually thinks in terms of questions? Ask the right question will put you in the right state.

4. Your rules - different people will associate different rules in their lives. For some people, shout at others means rude, for others, shouting means power and winning.

5. Your values - it depends on how you rank your value system. Some people will rank their success value higher than their security value.

Hope this helps..

[Fergal]

Great points there Shawn, I really like your lesson from Anthony Robbins and believe that I can improve my thoughts by applying that tip.

Originally Posted by ShawnLim

...when you are thinking about negative thoughts, it will be too late for you to change it....Therefore, the best way is to condition your subconscious by thinking positive thoughts most of the time....

Have you any suggestions on how to think more positive thoughts?

[ShawnLim]

I think the best way to condition yourself into thinking positively all the time is by feeding your mind with positive thoughts.

Read, learn, meditate, use positive affirmations, visualization, network with other positive thinking people, and more.

[johndale]

Yes correct. Having an optimistic way of life is good for the health as well.

[chinaoilpainting]

Sounds like positive self hypnosis. Don`t constantly criticise yourself inside your head or others.

[ShawnLim]

Originally Posted by johndale

Yes correct. Having an optimistic way of life is good for the health as well.

Yes yes, almost forgot, health is another important area that everyone must focus on..