Our minds are constantly working. Even when asleep, our brains are at work producing images found in our nighttime world of dreams. Somehow, researchers have calculated that the average human being can have up to 50,000 thoughts in a twenty-four hour period. Of course, each and every thought, I am supposing, are not new ones, rather I imagine some of them are old, repetitive and in need of repair. 

What Are We Thinking?

Can you imagine what our world would look like if everyone knew what everyone else was thinking? In a way though, we already know what people think. Our thoughts actually form a particular perspective and that perspective propels our behaviors. Those behaviors lead back to the thoughts we think. Observing the actions of others gives us insight into what they are thinking. 

There are a lot of things I like about being a human being. At the top of my list is the fact that I can change my thinking when I notice that it needs changing. A changed thought changes everything; behavior as well as character.  

Why we switch our opinion about something, change our perspective or alter a particular pattern of thought, varies from person to person. But the common factor is that when we change our thinking our actions change as well.

For instance, as a suicide survivor, the trust factor I’d had with my dad was shattered the day he ended his life. In the barrage of emotions following in the wake of his death was the feeling that I’d been duped. I’d trusted my dad, I’d loved my dad and then, poof, he was gone. 

It seemed reasonable to me that to keep from feeling any more of the pain that would accompany someone’s departure from my life, I’d simply not trust anyone any more.

But my distrust of others put me in a constant stance of defense and connecting with anyone on an emotional level was nearly impossible. 

In spite of my lack of trust in  others, I fell in love and got married.  I quickly discovered that marriage, in and of itself, is a lot of work. Not only that, but if I remained in a defensive and distrustful stance, the marriage would not last.  

I knew change needed to happen. I knew I’d outgrown my pattern of distrustful thoughts. They’d helped me survive, but now they were no longer needed. Letting go of distrustful thinking began with knowing it had to go. As it left, so did my mistrusting behaviors.  

Why bother to evaluate our thoughts? Unless we bother to assess our thinking we will never be able to alter it for anything better.