Your mind, do you control it? Are you able to get your thoughts to change direction? The unrelenting negativity, and the repetitive loop of thinking the same thoughts over and over, can you make them stop? If you answer no, you are not alone. This way of thinking, is unhelpful and tiresome, yet we think this form of thinking is normal.

Do you sometimes long to have a switch that would allow you to turn off your thoughts? When you cannot control your thoughts, you cannot control your emotions and you most definitely cannot control your actions, because they all work in tandem. Your thoughts dictate your emotions, and your emotions dictate your actions and it is this constant interaction between them that dictates your state of well being or ill health.

There are different ways to silence the thoughts in your mind, Meditation is one, another is to focus your attention on your breathing. Whichever way you decide, what you want is the ability to quieten your mind. When you gain the power to quieten your mind, you realize just what peace feels like, it’s the silence, you begin to crave.

What an amazing thing your brain is, you may think outside situations determine how you feel about your life. I don’t believe this is so. It is your mind interpreting what is happening to you that makes you feel one way or another about your life. Even with all the practice, when you begin your journey inward, towards your thoughts, emotions and actions, it takes a great deal of awareness and courage to admit your past thoughts and reactions to situations created the life you have now and your thought and reactions right at this moment are creating the future coming your way.

Your mind interprets everything, Without it we would not be able to interact with the world around us. Yet the entire spiritual journey from the very start is about detaching oneself from one’s mind and from one’s thoughts. Why? Well I think the reason is when you are focused on your breathing, you begin to work from the space of quiet mind, which means you are in the present moment and when you are in the moment you are able to be aware of your thoughts as they happen, your emotions as they occur and with practice are able to control more and more of your actions. This is the beginning of starting to live in recognition of the role your mind plays. It can be made to play a positive or negative role,  this is what you decide, in each and every moment.

When you start to change tracks in your thinking, be aware that you will be tested. It’s like you deciding from now on I am not going to get angry and the very same day you find every situation you encounter is exactly what gets you angry and you think to yourself what is going on, here? You made a decision and you will be tested, so get ready.

Life is occurring in each moment. There are situations you create for yourself and then there are situations that occur to test you. You can only navigate these with clarity of thought and mindful intention.