G’day Funsters. Hope you are enjoying your Tuesday and annoying the crap out of everyone with your incredibly positive attitude. Just because you can. If you’re succeptible to headaches you my want to read today’s post slowly. With no distractions. Or you may wanna come back tomorrow. Here we go…
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.” (Proverbs 23:7)
Lately I’ve been thinking about thinking. How I think and how others think. And about what kind of impact that thinking has on our reality. My Reality. Your reality. But then I thought, maybe our thinking is our reality? There’s another thought. I guess in many ways our thinking is our internal reality, so perhaps a better question would be, what type of impact does our internal dialogue have on our external reality? Our practical life experience? How we function in the real world? By the way, where’s the unreal world? I suppose when we use the term real world, we are typically referring to what we experience as our physical world; work, school, home, suburbia.
Recycled Thoughts
So how does our thinking influence our relationships, career, personal endeavours, choices, challenges, behaviours and our ability to succeed out here on the big blue ball; the stuff that happens outside our head? And if the above verse from the book of Proverbs is any indication, then people were exploring the relationship between thoughts and reality thousands of years ago. This is certainly not a new discussion. In fact, it’s ancient. Someone has already thought my thought. Or maybe I’m re-thinking theirs. Perhaps nobody has absolute ownership of individual thoughts. Maybe those thoughts have existed forever and we simply claim them as our own at different stages of our own journey and development? I wonder if there are any original thoughts in 2008, or are they simply recycled? So, if I’m interpreting the thoughts of the ancient scholars correctly (and who knows if I am), then our thinking determines who we are, what we become and what we create. I think.
My head hurts.
Donnie Darko
Have you ever really thought about how you think? It’s a little scary isn’t it? Can you control it? Manage it? Change it? Do you want to? Does it empower you or hold you back? Is your head a fun place to be or is there a touch of Donnie Darko about the space between your ears? Perhaps your headspace alternates between Disneyland and the Twilight Zone. Mine does. That’s normal right? Don’t get me started on normal again. There are lots of things we can give up – cigarettes, drugs, junk food, arguing, swearing – but we can’t give up thinking. Although I’ve met a few people who seriously test that hypothesis. So I guess it all comes down to how we think?
Do you ever consider the relationship between your internal reality and your external reality? That is, the connection between what goes on in your head and the type of practical results you’re producing in your life? We know there’s a relationship but the question is, how do we manage one to maximise the other?
What’s a Story Without a Flow Chart?
If we wanted to get a little more scientific and analytical (and a little less philosophical and weird) about the relationship between our thinking and the results we produce in our life, then we could come up with a little flow chart (of sorts). If I knew how to draw in this publishing program, then I would draw you a circular flow chart. I can’t, so I won’t.
Probably a good thing; my drawing is crap.
So here’s my picture-less flow chart:
(1) Our thinking determines the (2) decisions we make (and don’t make), which in turn dictates (3) how we behave (what we do and don’t do), which determines the kind of (4) results we produce, which in turn shapes our (5) life reality (our practical experience out here in the physical world).
So it would seem there is a direct correlation between how we think and what we experience in our day to day life. Not only cerebrally (internally) but practically and physically (externally).
A couple of logical questions might be…
(1) Is it possible to re-program the internal dialogue to change the external reality?
(2) How do we do it?
If only I knew the answers.
Just kidding.
We’ll explore those questions tomorrow.
Let a comment by clicking on the comment thingy and don’t forget to book your place for a Renovate Your Life workshop.
Ciao x
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Craig,
Tell me , how is it that some people automatically seem to be able to put the flow chart into place and others need to have help,
does chemistry or misfiring synapses play a part? Just something to think about for part two.
Ta
Janine
Hi Craig,
Unreal thoughts/post !!
My head did start to hurt a bit around – ‘maybe those thoughts have always existed and we only claim them as our own at different stages of our own journey..” but I read on – so fascinated!!
I have often thought that sort of stuff too, though maybe not with that much depth and comprehension, but maybe your very right, we do all often share the same thoughts – and never thought about this before(I don’t think) but with people who lived ages ago !!
Way fascinating stuff – looking forward to the next installment about changing our thoughts to produce a more positive reality.
Have a great day -
Hugs to you ( ) ( )
Monica
Holy crap Mr. Harper.. Did you channel me this morning?
…. and here i was just thinking about thinking!!
Im off to make a helmet outta tin foil so you cant do that again.
Cheers
Clever post Mr Harper. I like how your mind works. Now I’m thinking about thinking too! ~ Kaz ( )
Hiya CH
I like to think about thinking, I think what someone else is thinking, I will ask what are you thinking about?, I think that some dont think they just do…..whatever
What do you think, when you have been thinking about someone and then you see/hear from them and they have been thinking of you too?
Let me think about it-I think is a good song too!
keep rockin’-TG
Close to 4 decades of living is the only expertise I have in "thinking" but I sincerely believe that one can re-program one's inner dialogue to change one's external reality.
As per usual it comes down to the old "hard work & sweat" beast that lurks in the corner of everyones' good intention room.
In some ways the brain is a muscle – having a dogmatic and singular view of the world is like doing the same exercise over and over again – the brain adapts to the exercise and doesn't undergo any further change.
Maybe it's not just the thinking that needs to be reprogrammed. Maybe the habits one has also need to be reprogrammed.
I'm looking forward to the further explorations.
Blooody hell! You must be tired after that. I am tired after reading it. Your brain energy could power a small city! Stop thinking about thinking….we may have just discovered a clean green environment powered by C Harper’s brain…..
I think it is possible to re-program the internal dialogue and I’m trying really hard to do it. But it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears!
Hey Craig,
The problem with our thinking is we use ours brains. Proverbs says “as a man thinketh in his HEART” – once we change the attitude of our hearts (be more forgiving, kinder to other etc) we think differently. To change our hearts we need to change our thinking – this is becoming a bit of a chicken and egg situation – ah well I am all thought out
till next time take care
Cheryl
Craig,
Please stop it hurts….oh and that was from the laughing and not the spinning my head was doing.
Seriously though, another thought provoking message and what is wrong with disneyland and the twilight zone? That’s where I live lol!
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Hugs
Michelle
Good question Janine… I’m thinking about it
Thanks Monica ( )
TG.. I’m confused.
( )
Cheers Ben…
Hi teachingmum… go YOU!!
I think you’re on to something Cheryl… now finish it for us
( )
Labas, Craig
All personal development stuff tries to answer these questions. Looking forward for your answers, Craig.
Waiting,
Saulius
An oldie but a goodie:
If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got >>>> "nothing changes unless something changes!"
Sonia
()
Question, have you read Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” ? Very interesting read about thought
I think our thoughts are not only a by product of everyone around us who we talk to and mingle with.. and our environment but also from everyone and everything from the generations before us, even years and years ago.. as this society has been building and building.
I don’t even know where to start to try and think of where it started, how it started and to this day how we all individually and collectively influence eachother to think a certain way!?
that’s too deep to go into lol
-Belinda
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