Choice is a moment by moment occurrence. It happens every day, all day long. From the moment our eyes crack open first thing in the morning or we are nudged from our slumber by an alarm, we are making decisions about how we want to feel, our expectations, and what we want to do with our day.
How do you greet the day? Do you resist it or welcome it? What about Mondays? Our society has given Mondays a bad rap. Why label something good or bad without experiencing it? Is there value in prejudging something as negative? Is that choosing to live in the present and being open to possibilities?
Many of our thoughts are unconscious “programs” running in the background, which will continue until we take the time to really pay attention to the constant stream of thoughts going through our head. Michael Singer, in his book “The Untethered Soul”, talks about the neurotic nature of these thoughts. He says if we were to truly listen to these thoughts and then transfer them onto another, as if that person we saying to us our very own thoughts, we’d think that person was crazy and want to get far away from them!
Often, our thoughts are so automatic we may not be consciously aware that we choose them. When I hear people touting “Murphy’s Law,” I challenge them on it. Why expect things to go wrong instead of right? I’d rather promote potentially positive outcomes. That is a choice. How many unconscious choices do you make that are negative?
We have all had moments where we catch ourselves saying something that could have come right out of the mouth of a parent. “I sound just like my mother,” we may realize with a tinge of dread. This is becoming conscious of unconscious thoughts. When we have that consciousness, then we can make a choice to continue with such thoughts or to choose more beneficial ones.
Learn from your life – that is why we are here! Bring conscious awareness into everyday occurrences to really identify the thoughts you are choosing to have about things. Don’t be a captive of your thoughts! The thoughts we choose to have about something determine what we think and feel about that thing (likes and dislikes). Why be so attached to them? As author Louise Hay said, “They are only thoughts, and thoughts can be changed.”
Every thought carries a potential outcome. To feel more in control of your life and your choices:
- Be honest with yourself that you choose your thoughts (consciously or unconsciously).
- Train yourself to pay close attention to the stream of thoughts in your head.
- Choose thoughts that uplift, empower, and align you with what you want.
Choosing thoughts.
- Tap your inner awareness to identify choices that do not serve you well.
- Ask your inner guidance to help you be more aware of your options.
- Remember, as a soul, you have free will to choose for yourself.
- Know that conscious breathing can break the spell of obsessive thoughts.