Written by: Jane Ramsey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Understanding the power of thought is important because, as humans, we have a tendency to get stuck in old ways of thinking.
Research studies indicate perhaps as many as 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts pass through our minds in a given day.
More important than the number of thoughts is the understanding that most of our thoughts are repetitive. For most of us, what we think today, we thought last week, last year, or even five years ago. When you understand the power of thought, you can open yourself up to new, healthier patterns of thinking. How can you improve life through new thought habits? What tools are available?
Your Breath
Old patterns of thinking can keep us in a rut. If you feel stuck in your old patterns of thinking, your breath can help. Take a few deep breaths and allow a new way of thinking to arise. If you can do this, you are already finding a creative, fresh, new way to look at the world and your life. One of my yoga teachers reminds us; change your breath, change your thoughts, change your life.
Meditation
Regular meditation is another way to shift thought patterns. Meditation creates new pathways in the brain. I often think about taking advantage of those new pathways and challenge myself to have some original thoughts.
Self-Awareness
For example, you could play with transforming negative thoughts. Let’s say you wake up in the middle of the night. Instead of engaging in the thought habit of ruminating about how exhausted you will feel tomorrow, appreciate the chance to glean a new perspective.
You could, for example, go to a window and gaze at the night sky. Viewing a moon-illuminated tree with fresh eyes and imagining how to describe it can give your mind a new way to look at the situation. This takes you out of a repetitive thought habit and opens you up to imaginative and creative ways to open your mind.
Creativity
Engaging in any kind of creative endeavor is another way to free us and help us escape the rigidity of our thoughts.
Each time I play in my art journal, I appreciate the freshness of responding to what is in front of me. Making art is simply problem-solving. It is all about asking yourself the question; ‘what can I do with what is in front of me right now?’
In this way, being creative takes us out of repetitive thought habits. The thrill of responding to the present moment with imagination is a reminder that what we are creating has never been done before in exactly this way.
Understanding Energy
The Law of Vibration states that everything in the Universe moves and vibrates – people, animals, plants, trees, tables, cars, rocks; thoughts; our emotions— everything is vibrating at one speed or another. We can’t create or destroy energy, but we can transform it. We can exchange one thought pattern for another.
Using Positivity
When you think positive thoughts, you attract positivity and vice versa; like attracts like. What you think about, you tend to bring about. Every thought, emotion or mental state has a corresponding vibration.
Transform your Thoughts
Choose your belief systems instead of letting them choose you. Ask yourself; where are you stuck in old belief systems that are keeping you from your full potential? If you accept that everything begins as a thought, the current picture of your life in some way reflects your current thoughts. These might be conscious, subconscious, or some of both. When you train your brain to re-think unhelpful patterns, you reframe them into more realistic statements.
Knowing this, you can transform unwholesome beliefs. You can take an old belief such as “I had my chance and blew it.” Choose to transform that thought into something actionable, positive, and more realistic. “It’s not too late; I have my whole life ahead of me.” In this way, you re-train your thought habits to look for evidence that your efforts may be a success.”
Seek out New Input
Think of ways to be more open-minded to allow for new thoughts to emerge. Travel, listening to new music, watching a new genre of movie, reading a new type of book, or trying new foods can get you out of your zone of comfort. Whatever your preferred method of getting news, switch to the opposite occasionally and allow yourself to understand or at least appreciate a new perspective. Also, make a point to expand your acquaintances. The more generationally, racially, culturally, and politically diverse your friends, the more you will expand your thinking to include more reference points.
Mindfulness Practices
We already talked about meditation, but any single-tasking activity involving mindfulness can slow down your thoughts. Creativity, walking, dance, gardening to name a few. Mindfulness activities create new pathways in your brain that become roads to innovation and new thought habits.
Stop Ruminating
When you ruminate, repetitive thoughts play over in your mind. Ruminative thoughts are not only exhausting but also can make you susceptible to anxiety and depression. Even worse, these types of repetitive thoughts prevent healthier perspectives to emerge.
Rumination can take several forms. Some common overthinking patterns include:
Reliving embarrassing or traumatic experiences
Thinking about potential responses instead of listening to what someone else is saying
Imagining worst-case scenarios
Comparing yourself to others to see how you stack up
Second-guessing your goals and telling yourself that your ambitions are not possible
Think Again
I read a good book during the Pandemic called Think Again by Adam Grant. In our polarized world, Adam Grant’s advice rings true. Keep an open mind. Think and act like a scientist. Revise your opinions as needed. When you understand the power of thought, you can think critically about your own patterns. This will help you stay open to new, healthier patterns and keep you from getting stuck.
Namaste,
Jane
Find out more about Jane Ramsey on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info!
Purchase Jane’s book: Vision Quest - A Journey to Happiness by Jane Ramsey.
Jane Ramsey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jane Ramsey, formerly a business executive for a global Fortune 500 company, is now an author, artist, meditation coach, and Founder of SoulArt Meditation. Upon retirement, Jane embarked on a course of study in philosophy, fitness, health, nutrition, quantum physics, happiness, and spirituality. She has been meditating for more than twenty-five years and is a Chopra-certified meditation coach, helping clients create a strong daily meditation practice. Jane shares her spiritual journey in her book VISION QUEST: a journey to happiness. Her story is inspiring and enlightening. As a part of her journey, Jane has become an avid and accomplished artist. Jane’s quest to get clearer on her purpose in life inspired her to combine creativity with meditation and spirituality, and that’s how her signature class, SoulArt Meditation, was born.
