Thinking a thought

Thought and thinking are not always the same. A thought is just a thought until you think. You cannot think of anything until you have a thought about it. And our thoughts are based on our awareness of the people, places, and things in our environment. 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 so 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. You cannot force a thought. To try to do so is called thinking. Once you have a thought, either you think it, or it moves to your memory. You cannot undo it or give it back. It is the same as it is with life. We cannot change the life we have lived; it is what it is, forever. Think about this. What exists to us is all we know. And we decide what we are going to do with it.

Should I or Should I Not

Say you (White Girl/Woman) are walking down a city sidewalk, and you see that you and I (Black Male) are approaching each other and within seconds will be at each other’s side. 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 think, you will continue on your way, most likely unbothered. If you do not feel safe for some reason—that can only be known by you—you will go in another direction or proceed with caution: tension building each step of the way. 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 based on our perception, we think that thought, feel what we are thinking, and then we act. That is the course of an action/thinking process.

How to Think

We are taught and therefore learn 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 about your happiness and well-being, you will be equipped to do so. Thinking is what feeds the mind and tells it what to do. So, you see, there is no more crucial phase of our mental and emotional development than when we are learning how to think.

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 rarely 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. 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 it 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. Whether by choice, chance, or by force, the environment you are in will be the source for the thoughts that enter your mind. With few exceptions, who and what we are around. It is then up to us what we do with our thoughts. You should not let thoughts that are not wanted stay where they do not belong. These kinds of thoughts you 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 should be partners, best friends, and together decide what to do with your thoughts. Yes, you do want the relationship with your mind uppermost, but if for whatever reason your mind decides to strike out on its own, it is time to be real and let your mind know that you are the boss. Do not let your mind, or anyone cause you to act in a way other than what is in your best interest: Never.

How you act is the most that anyone can know about who you are and how you think. It is by how we act that others judge us. There are things that others do that we prefer they did not. You do not control this. You are in charge of how you act. That is the only effect you can have on what others do.

The Sower of Bad Seeds

Yes, you can reap the harvest that comes if you allow yourself to be a fertile vessel for bad seeds to be planted by those who wish to see you suffering and confused. You will have thoughts that you rather not have. You cannot force them from your head. You can pretend they are not there. They will remind you that they are. Do not let bad thoughts take root. And above all stay far away from the sower of bad seeds. These bad thoughts often surface when you are where you should not be in the presence of someone you should not have in your environment. You know this, now don’t you.

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. To think good thoughts is good. It changes how you feel and is the mainstay of a content mind.

When we think that good thoughts are bad or bad thoughts are good, it is not a good way to think. It is a sign of disordered thinking. Most certainly caused 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. 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. Next done will be the new what is. What has happened is done.

You should not talk or think of the bad when things are good. Have you heard someone say on a nice sunny day, or have you said, but it is supposed to be cloudy tomorrow. How can you ever enjoy what is there when you cannot leave good enough alone. But when you feel bad about yourself, whether we acknowledge it or not, we will not let the good take root. It may not sound like much. It does show a certain frame of mind.

You 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 you feel what you think. Thinking should lift the soul and stir the mind. How we think our thoughts form the foundation on which we build our lives. There is not a thing to think but a thought.

Your Thoughts Are Yours to Think

“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 complete 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.) I believe 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 what the person with the thought thinks. You could ask, what do you have in mind, what do you think? Your thought, then, is pending. A pending thought is still just a thought. As a reminder, there is no greater aspect or mental process of our lives that we have the sole responsibility for than how we think. We cannot talk about it enough; it determines how 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. What you think will have to wait for the person who asked you what you think about their thought. It is the person with the first thought. When asked what you think about a thing, if you do not have a thought that gives you 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—you cannot. And you should not try, for you will be left to blame if it goes wrong and 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. Anyone can let someone 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 begin to 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.

There will be times when you may wonder what all this talk about thinking and thought mean and if you should continue reading. When you begin listening to what you are reading, you will not have this question to ask. I invite you to do so for, after all, It Is How You Think. The new and different tend—at first—to be met with a certain amount of resistance—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 about. And what we think creates the words that are the source for the actions we take. 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 will 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—talking to yourself. Talking to yourself is an excellent way to discuss what is on your mind with yourself when no one else is around. No, it does not mean that you are losing it. We think for a reason. The reason is our thoughts. That is the only way for them to take on a life of their own. Not all thoughts are good for us to think. A thought of things best left “untouched” is one of them. But we have to do something with them once we have one. It has to be processed. You either think it, or it immediately goes to your memory. What greater know-how could you have than to know how to think good thoughts.

Ask me what I think. Do not tell me what to think. Think for you. Let no one think this is what they can do. They will think this only if you have given them a reason to think so. It would be a reason that had the look of weakness. Your thoughts should be for your well-being and those that you serve. No one can think the thought of another.

We think our thoughts and think about how others act. We have to be aware of what exists to have thoughts about it. To shrink and expand your world is the best way to gauge the thoughts that you think. I mean 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 belong in your head. Because once it is, it will forever be in your memory. The only memories you do not have, you never had. That is unless you suffer an illness that robs you of what you knew.