We have control of our thoughts.
But no matter how evolved we are, at times we still have unwanted thoughts.

 

 

 

What does it mean to have control of our thoughts?

It means that we get to decide which thoughts to hold onto, we get to decide how we think. So why are we not happy all the time? Why do we still think unwanted thoughts?

Because the longer the thoughts have been with us, the harder they are to change

Let’s use an example from my garden. My house is about one hundred years old. The original owner was a gardener. She planted beautiful plants. They have been in the gardens a long time. One of those plants is a Yucca. I moved one such yucca because it wasn’t getting the right light. That plant must have been there for years. I believed I was saving it from sure death because of its growing conditions.

In its new area it has thrived and is beautiful. In the yucca’s original spot, new baby yuccas come up every year. The roots of that original yucca go very deep. I have moved the babies and worked hard to get all of the roots out. Yet they still come up year after year.

Think about your thoughts like the yucca. The longer they have been a part of you, the harder they are to get rid of. The longer they have been in your brain, the more roots they have put down. That is why they keep coming back up. And just like the new yuccas every year, the new thoughts are easier to remove.

This is a practice that take time. When unwanted thoughts come up for me, I work hard to remember that these thoughts are not true. And I let them go. Each time it gets easier to move past them. With practice I have gotten to the point when unwanted thoughts come into my brain I don’t even grab on to them, I just let them go.

There are still times that I feel I have no control. I get stressed and thoughts rush in. It can seem overwhelming. If that happens I just take a walk or “Shake it out”. Both of these activities can reset my brain completely. We all need that at times. With practice I have more control of my brain every day. This has been very liberating.

 

You have control of your brain too. Isn’t is time you showed it who’s the boss?