Thinking Is What We Do

Thinking and How We Do It

You must open your mind to allow what is outside to come in. Only then will you know if what you hear is what you want to keep. Take your time (your time and my time the only time we have) and think along with me here. You will undoubtedly have to think in a way that is different from how you have before. What we have thought to be may not be that way at all. And what we have been taught to believe does not always look the same when we learn how to think our own thoughts. This, of course, many thought they already knew.

Thought and Thinking

When I say to think a thought, I mean that thought and thinking are not always the same. Stay with me here—this requires a new way of thinking. Your life will be better off for what you can digest from the words that are “spoken” here. A thought is just a thought until you think it. You cannot think of a thing until you have a thought. And our thoughts are based on “our world” how we perceive what we see, hear and feel. A thought just is until it is not.

Thinking and Thought

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 too quick to measure. We are yet to know when someone has a thought or what they are thinking. And there is sound reasoning why we do not and should not.

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 you have a thought, you think it, or it moves to your 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 exists to us is all we know. And we decide what we are going to do with it. But, there is more.

There are other key factors that can and do play a decisive role in the outcome.

Say you are walking on a not so busy stretch of the bike path, and you see another walker (Me) approaching going in the opposite direction. 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—and all that goes with that. If you like what you see or are do not otherwise feel threaten , you will continue on your way. 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. 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, think, feel, and act. That is the course of an action process, as I believe it to be. There are other key factors that can and do play a decisive role in the outcome.

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. All that I say about thought, thinking, and how we perceive the world around us has just one purpose. I am not—in any way—trying to tell you what to think; I am merely giving you something to think about.

The environment that you are conceived in and grows from prepares us, or not, for the life we were chosen to live.

We are born to think, but you must learn to think better. One of the most difficult things to take when I was a child—even as an adult—was that I could be told what thoughts to think. You must decide the thoughts you choose to think. No one can do this for you. When you are taught from the start (beginning in the womb) by someone who cares, you can. The environment that you are conceived in and grows from prepares us, or not, for the life we were chosen to live. The Thinking is what feeds the mind and tells it what to do.

To try to think for someone is not good thinking. One can let another decide for them, but it will not be their decision until they decide. Thinking is a process that must end. The power of thinking is in when you act. Before you do, you can feel happy or sad, good or bad. How you act, how I act, is the best that can be known about how we think. This is true no matter the time, place, person or circumstance.

“I had a thought but 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 is not a thought that holds 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?

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. Wait until you know all that you should. What you think may not be what you think it is. That is because what we perceive and think we know may not be what is true. Perception can be reality or not. What is to you is not always what is.

Thinking is a process: there is a start and a finish each time you think a thought. Once you start, you cannot stop until you are done. What you expose yourself to will be the source for the thoughts that enter your mind—who and what you are around—it is then up to you what you do with them. 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 them. What does your life say to you?

You rule over your mind. That is, you should. Never let it tell you what to do without your consent. 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 effect you can have on what others do.

Warning: Please consider the statement above before beginning any relationship or endeavor.

Thoughts will come. You cannot force them from your head. You can 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. 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.

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 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–they come after. There is a point where one stops and the other starts. You will not change what is, no matter what you do. It has made its mark. It does not matter if it is good or bad. What is done next will be the new what is. What has happened is over.

You 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 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 you acknowledge it or not, you will not let the good take root. It may not sound like much, but it does show a certain frame of mind and way of thinking.

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

You do not know how good a thought is until you know how good it was. Thought is language for the mind. It 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 says what we mean. You should never say what you do not mean to say. Think.

When we think, we are having a talk with ourselves. You can do this in two ways. You think your thoughts to yourself. That is when you talk to yourself and not say a word. The other— which I have done since I was a child—is to think your thoughts out loud. This is an excellent way to discuss what is on your mind with yourself when no one else is around. 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.

We think our thoughts and think about how others act. You must be aware of a thing to have thoughts about it. To shrink and expand our world is the best way to gauge the thoughts that we 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 we are better off without. Not all belong in our heads. Because once it is, it will forever be in your memory, which other memories can trigger at any time or place.

TEMPTATION

Not all thoughts are good for us to think. A thought of things best left alone is one of them. You either think it or let it go. What greater know how could you have than how to think good thoughts. Do not yield to temptation.