Change Your Thinking - Change Your Life

Change your thoughts, change your life. Just about everyone wants to change something about themselves. Whether it is health, relationships, or money, we are rarely satisfied with the status quo - we want to expand into the next and better version of ourselves.

It all starts with a thought. Every action we take is preceded by a thought. We are conditioned to think a certain way, and that conditioning leads to a set of behaviors we may like or may find disagreeable. Therefore, our thinking is what must change first. Trying to change our behavior, before thinking, is a waste of time. Because if you do not get to the first cause - our thinking - you will not make permanent and positive change.

Here are the steps you can take to take control of your thoughts, and your actions.

• Ownership - You must own your thinking. This requires of you the concept that your thinking is under your control. How you look at the world - beliefs, fears, joys, wants, and emotions - are changeable, and you must know you can change them. If you do not believe, or unwilling to believe, then this will not work. Understand that thinking comes first, then the actions. If you want to lose weight, recognize that your thoughts about eating and exercise must be changed before you will get the outcome you desire.
• Exposure - Read, listen, and watch authors, teachers, and speakers who have mastered control of their minds. Open yourself up to the world of self-realization and begin the process of selective thinking. This means turning off the information feeds that are negative - the news, social media, negative people.
• Mindfulness - Recognizing which thoughts you want and which ones you don’t want is a critical step. It is important that you know how you want to think about and what emotions you want to feel so you can recognize the thoughts you want to eliminate. For example, let’s say there was a problem in your childhood you wish was different - your Dad was never there or your Mom hit you. You can label these thoughts as negative and ones you want to be rid of. Memories are simply energy held in your brain and can be changed or even erased.
• Discernment - Through the process of mindfulness, meditation, and contemplation, you can decide which thoughts you want and which ones you do not want. Discernment is the ability to decide the thoughts you want. It requires you also know what you want. Knowing what you want is the most important thing you can do to change your life.
• Conditioning - Once you have decided on the thoughts you want (gratitude, peace, prosperity), you can build short phrases that change the neuro-connections in your brain so they are automatic and embedded in your natural vocabulary. Through repetitive out loud speech, you can permanently change the wiring of your brain to believe anything you want. This is how people are brainwashed to think radically to support a cause. You can do the same - however, your radical cause is the betterment of your life.