You Must Learn How to Think

Thinking and Thought Reference

(Can Be Consumed In Parts)

When I say to think a thought, what I mean is, thought and thinking is not always the same. A thought is just a thought until you think about it. You cannot think of a thing until you have a thought. And our thoughts are based on how we perceive what we see, hear and feel. A thought just is until it is not. Think of a thought as being inert, not doing a thing from when you have it until you think of what you want to do with it. The time between the two is quick. There is no way to measure. We are yet to know when someone has a thought or what they are thinking. And there is a good reason for that.

Thought is not only what we had. It is also, what we have. You thought and you have a thought. It is what we have thought, and what we have to think. A thought cannot be forced. To try to do so is called thinking. Once we have a thought, either we think it or it moves to our memory. It will not be undone. It is the same as it is with life. The life we have lived cannot be changed; it is what it is, forever. Think about this. What exist to us is all we know. And we decide what we are going to do with it.

Say you are walking down a long and winding road and along the way, you meet me. You will have a thought based on your perception of me. This is the first thing that will happen. You will then think about us. If you are at ease with what you see, you will continue on your way most likely unbothered. If for some reason—that can only be known by you—you do not feel safe, you will go in another direction or go ahead with caution. Or you may not have strong feelings either way. No matter how you feel, your feelings will be based on what you think. And you will act according to how you feel. We perceive, have a thought, we think, we feel we act. That is the course of an action process.

We are taught how to think and must decide what to think. You should not think in a way that tells you things you do not need to hear. Your thoughts belong to you. No one can think for you, though many will try. We are born with the capacity to think and must learn how to think to live. For how you think is how you survive. You must decide the thoughts you choose to think. No one can do this for you. When you are taught from the start by someone who cares, you can. Thinking is what feeds the mind and tells it what to do.

“I had a thought but I don’t remember what it was.” Have you said this to yourself? The reason is it was not a full thought. When this happens, it was not a thought that held the mind’s attention. (I did not think it was important then, maybe later.) It is my belief that there are two kinds of thought. Have you been asked by someone what you think about a thought that they have? As in, I had a thought about us going shopping today. What do you think about that? There is a flow to this.

Their thought is the first thought. You can answer but you should not until you know more. You could ask, what do you have in mind, what do you think? You cannot, of course, know what they think but you will know what they tell you—how they act will speak for them. Until they do, your thought is a pending thought. A pending thought is still just a thought. As a reminder, there is no greater thing that we have the sole responsibility for than when, what and how we think. It cannot be talked about enough; it determines how we live, if we live, and what is done with us when we do not. It also determines whether we win or lose, go or stay or just be in the way.

Now back to the question, what do you do with your pending thought. You do not know what you think yet. You cannot say for you must wait for the person who asked you what you think about their thought to think and act. When asked what you think about a thing, if you do not have a thought that is a reason to think, you will think nothing to contribute. Therefore, there is nothing you can tell them. On one level, they may want your help to make up their mind. They must think first. Otherwise, they are asking you to think for them. This you cannot do. And you should not try for you will be the one they blame if it goes wrong and you will likely not be given credit if things turn out right.

To try to think for someone is not good thinking. It is trying to do the “un thinkable.” One can, let another decide for them. But, of course, it will not be their decision. To think is a process and each time you do, it is new. And when you stop thinking about this, you will think about that. Thinking has no power until you act. How you act is the best that can be known about how you think. This is a fact that does not change.

You should not act on what you think someone is going to say. That is, to the extent that you have your say before they do. It is a fault of many. It is not seen as a problem by those who do it, but it is.  It is almost never well received.  Usually, a person does this because they are on guard. At its core is insecurity. It is the unconscious coming through to say, I know. It is tied in with self-esteem or better put, low self-esteem. This is their ready mode. Wait until you know all that you should. What you think may not be what you think it is. That is because what you perceive and think you know may not be what is true. Perception can be reality, or not. What it is to you, or how someone else perceives it, is not always, what is.

Thinking is a process, there is a start and there is a finish each time we think a thought. Once you start, you cannot stop until you are done. What we expose our Self to will be the source for the thoughts that enters our mind—who and what we are around—it is then up to us, what we do with them. We should not let thoughts that are not wanted stay where they do not belong. These kinds of thoughts we should refuse to have anything to do with. Let them go to your memory and let them stay there. Do not think them. They are of no value; no good can come from it.

You rule over your mind. That is, you should. Never let it tell you what to do. You and your mind decide what to do with your thoughts. Do not do a thing that will cause you to act in a way other than how you wish. How you act is all that can be known about who you are. There are things that others do that you prefer they did not. You do not control this. You are in charge of how you act. That is the only affect you can have on what others do.

Thoughts will come. You cannot force them from our head. You can; however, pretend they are not there. They will remind you that they are. Before you act, you should be sure of what you think. What you do next depends on it. When you have good thoughts, it is more likely that good things will happen. Just to think good thoughts is good. It changes how you feel and is the mainstay of a content mind. Bad thoughts can seep in when there is fertile ground for a bad seed to be planted. Do not let bad thoughts take root. These bad thoughts many times surfaces when you are where you should not be and you are in the presence of someone you should not share your world with. You know this, now don’t you.

When we think that good thoughts are bad or bad thoughts are good, it is not a good way to think. This is a sign of disordered thinking. It is usually brought on when you have allowed yourself to be confused by the life you are living. There is someone there who should not be. It could be you. The mind is doing it and you are letting it happen. It is best to remember, that good comes from good and bad comes from bad. There is no other way. Bad can follow good things. Good can follow bad. But neither thing can come from the other thing. There is a point where one stops and the other starts. We will not change what has happened, no matter what you do. It has made its mark. It matters not if it is good or bad. What is done next will be the new what is. What has happened is done.

We should not talk or think of the bad when things are good. On a nice sunny day, have you heard someone say, or have you said, but it is forecast to be cloudy tomorrow. How can you ever enjoy the good now when you keep thinking about the not so good which may or may not come later. But when you feel bad about yourself, whether you acknowledge it or not, you will not let the good take root. It may not sound like much; though, it is quite important to your well-being and it does show a certain frame of mind and way of thinking.

We should always try to think of the good when things are bad. It is cloudy today, but the sun may be out tomorrow. It is the right thing to do because we feel what we think. Thinking should lift the soul and stir the mind. How we think our thoughts forms the foundation on which our lives are built. There is not a thing to think but a thought.

There will be times when you may wonder what it all means and if you should continue. The new tends to be that way, which is how we learn. Be it works of art, literature or merely understanding the use of a product you recently purchased. We must first understand and follow the instructions for best use.

You do not know how good a thought is until you know how good it was. Our thoughts are what we think and what we think drives both actions and words. And there is no such thing as a bad word. The use of a word decides what it is worth. How we arrange our words say what we mean. You should never say what you do not mean to say. You would only do this if your thinking is disordered.

When we think, we are having a talk with ourselves. You can do this two ways. You think your thoughts to yourself. That is when you talk to yourself and not say a word. The other is to think your thoughts out loud. This is a good way to discuss what is on your mind with yourself when no one else is around. We think for a reason.

We think our thoughts and think about how others act. We have to be aware of a thing to have thoughts about it. To shrink and expand your world is the best way to gauge the thoughts that you think. What I mean is, the limits we place, or not, on the people and things we allow in our world. There are some things you are better off without. Not all belongs in your head. Because once it is there, it will forever live on in your memory forever.