Ahhh, four letter words!! What a gift to the spoken & written word. Sometimes there’s just no substitute for a four letter word . . . no substitute for expression perfectionized 
! I’m sure your mind can instantly replay a moment that could be the commercial for why four letter words exist. This 16 part series takes a look at 16 four letter words that will change your life. So let’s dive right in . . . Word #2 »
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Word #2: Mind
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
“Mind over matter.”
“It’s the thought that counts.”
“Use your brain.” (Personal favorite)
Those are some of my favorite quotes about the mind.
Did you know that the vast majority of brain development occurs in all humans by the age of three? Picture this . . . on your third birthday, your brain was at nearly 90% of its maximum physical weight. Additionally, all of the experiences you had up until that age greatly influenced which parts of your brain were stimulated. Those experiences were like a Darwinian house keeper, instructing your brain to keep certain neurons and synapses (connections between brain cells), while discarding others.
Now that I’ve got you looking at your infancy in a whole new way, fear not! No matter how those formative years structured your neural pathways, you still wield great power to leverage that grey bag of water to transform your life. More on that after this statistical detour . . .
Statistical Detour
Research shows that the average person has around 60,000 thoughts per day. Wow!!!! 60,000?! If my math is correct (brain don’t fail me now), that’s over 40 thoughts per minute! That’s mind boggling!
Here’s the good news. Your brain is kinda like a computer. Your thoughts (all 60,000 of them) are like the software programs you’ve installed . . . some run on start up while others only run when you tell them too. Fortunately there’s a pretty simple process you can use to make sure that you’re making the most of this daily heap of mental processing power.
Step 1: Become Aware
As you attempt to figure out if you’re really having 60,000 thoughts per day, you’ll begin to build awareness of the types of thoughts you’re actually having. Some focus on your relationships, while others are on financial or health matters. Some are about your favorite music or TV shows and others about your spiritual connection to source. Some are a little obsessive, while others only come and visit occasionally. Whether shallow or deep, intellectual or trivial, good or bad, they keep rolling in. Just commit to pay attention to this marvelous process and decide to use it for your benefit.
Step 2: Choose
Now that you’re building an awareness of the different types of thoughts you’re having, choose which ones you want to keep and which ones you’d rather not take along for the ride. The bottom line is that every thought is a choice . . . even the automagical ones . . . you know, the “programs that run on start-up” as soon as you wake up each day. Accept that even these habitual thoughts are based on choices you made at some point in your life. They’ve been placed in rather permanent sections of your mental hard drive. Now you get to decide if they should still have a place there or if you should uninstall them and make room for new ones.
Step 3: Habitualize
As you choose the thoughts you would prefer for yourself, turn them into new thought habits. Many studies indicate that it takes approximately 21 days to make a new habit permanent. To speed this process along, try this:
- Write down the thoughts you want to habitualize and read them aloud regularly (several times a day).
- Phrase them as affirmations to assist your mind in assimilating them, even if they don’t currently appear to be true for you. For example: “I feel passionate about my life and this passion fills me with excitement and energy.”
Practice makes permanent.
Revisit this three step process regularly, because change is the only constant in this universe and changing your mind is a good thing.
Remember that your mind is an equally powerful ally or foe . . . your choice.
“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.”
- Bob Marley
Jamaican Singer, Songwriter and Musician
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Powerful message. I am constantly learning more about the importance of the subconscious and how it plays out in our lives. It can be challenging at times, but I’m doing much better at not letting my mind run rampant with negative thoughts. And I agree with saying your affirmations out loud — it works!
Kalin, thank you for your comment. I hear what you’re saying about negative thoughts and I think it’s important that we approach this with care. Sometimes people come to the realization that they’re having a lot of negative thoughts and respond with feeling bad or judging the fact that all of this negativity is swimming around in the grey pool. Doing this adds more negative thoughts & feelings to the mix. Another way to approach this would be to simply be aware you’re having negative thoughts and say to yourself, “I think I’ll choose to think about something more enjoyable”. This way you’re not judging yourself (and dealing with that burden), you’re just choosing a different path in real time.