Mastering your thoughts can be a challenge to say the least. People often forget or don’t know how powerful one’s mind can be and in turn how destructive it can be without applying control.
Your mind, specifically your thoughts, affects your perception and therefore, your interpretation of reality.
Put simply, it pays to be the master of thoughts. To be the master of your thoughts can dramatically transform your life. To change this, your way of thinking can change nearly every other aspect of your life. From destructive to constructive, illogical to logical, being misinterpreted to being understood and from frustrated to being fulfilled.
A remarkable book on time management (Getting Things Done by David Allen) covers what many people do not recognise, ie there is no point of thinking of something over and over again. There is no point of worrying about something, as it is a thought that does not evolve, it can create a compounding amount of fear and stress and can turn into an endless loop.
It is those kinds of thoughts; the illogical, destructive and obstructive that we need to dispel in order to focus our energy on our work, our loved ones and ourselves so we can be in control of our own life.
“Think of your head as an unsafe neighbourhood, don’t go there alone.” – Augusten Burroughs, Dry
Thought mastering has been sought for several millennia. Buddhism teaches thought mastering through meditation, to control breathing, to be tranquil and to be insightful so you may have a peace of mind while exploring the avenues of your mind. Though Buddhists have been teaching it for over 2500 years, it has yet to be mainstreamed into modern curriculum and unfortunately leaves most people without a coping mechanism when dealing with stress, frustration and being unable to focus.
Being able to recognise the thoughts that accumulate when we are unfocused, frustrated and stressed is the first step to mastering our thoughts. Then to practise, either intersect and exchange negative thoughts with focused positive thoughts or to directly end the negative chain of thoughts with breathing techniques and ‘an empty mind’ are the foundations to mastering your thoughts.
If we can manage to be the master of our thoughts, our potential is limitless. Knowing the methodology of mind over matter, we begin to understand that success is psychological and learn to interrupt and stop any thoughts of worry. This will alleviate our former selves and build our latter selves to become masters of our thoughts.
Warm wishes Donny
Behind Closed Doors is an invitation only program exclusively for executive women and business owners designed to further the professional development of its members in an intimate and confidential environment. We offer five programs to meet the diverse needs of women today, including: executive women and CEOs; executives of the future; business owners and entrepreneurs; executive and personal assistants; and an in-house program for senior women within organisations.
