Some say 20,000; some say 70,000; some say something in between so 27,432 is actually a conservative estimate.
Let’s face it, whichever it is, it’s a big number; it’s a really really big number. You and I have somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day.
And guess what? Most of those thoughts are negative, repetitive; and honestly, downright uninteresting.
Wow. Right? Even if only 75% of those thoughts are negative (and the truth of the matter is that it’s probably higher than that) that’s still 20,574 (and that’s off of our conservative estimate). That’s a lot of thoughts of the negative inclination. Needless to say that has a pretty massive effect on how you feel.
Big time.
Just think of it—one or two negative comments from a really good friend or a spouse or your mother. Bam. It can feel like you’ve gone splat against the windshield. That’s one or two negative comments. We’re talking about a steady stream of tens of thousands every day. 365 days a year. That’s between 7,300,000 and 25,550,000 thoughts a year.
Millions of negative thoughts every year. Is it any wonder we skid into anxiety, depression and angst on a regular basis? That’s enough to bring anyone down.
Of course, we’ve all heard it, “think positive”. “Just say ‘no’” to negativity. Etc… etc.. Blah, blah, blah…
The truth of the matter is when we go head to head with a negative thought, it wins, hands down, pretty much every time. It wins unless we shift the energy and the emotion around it.
If we create an internal energy field that isn’t welcoming to negativity, without even fighting against it, that negativity evaporates.
Cultivating an inner world that repels negativity is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself. It’s a major happiness builder. Learning how to shift your energy, basically becoming an energy shifter, unlocks a boat load of good stuff.
It’s like going from reactive mode to creative mode.
It’s the difference between getting in the car, turning it on and putting a brick on the accelerator vs. getting in the car and driving it where you’re interested in going. Eons apart. I’ll take the ‘driving where I’m interested in going’, thank you very much. I’m sure you would too.
Enter meditation, stage left. Now, before you run off, nodding your head “oh, I’ve tried that; I can’t meditate” or “I can’t possibly sit still for any length of time” hear me out just a bit longer.
Meditation’s gotten a bit of a bad name. There are so many “systems” out there and if you’re anything like me it can leave you with the sense that first of all you don’t know where to start and second of all even if you did know where to start and you actually did, that you wouldn’t be doing it right.
So, let’s be clear, we’re throwing out any particular system—ultimately it’s what works for you. We honestly don’t care how you get there, we care that it gets you the results you want.
And while we’re throwing things out, let’s toss out any notion that you’re not going to do it right. That’s that pesky human perfectionism myth that’ll keep you from taking a step in any direction lest you take the wrong one. I myself have been known to disappear into perfectionism quick sand like nobody’s business.
So let’s try….
I’d like you to set aside a little time every day. It can be 5 minutes. Heck, it can be 2 minutes. In fact, if you don’t already have my 2 minute meditation, get it here.
Then, mark your calendar. Yes, I’m serious, even if you’re using the 2 minute option. Mark your calendar with the time every day you’re going to do this because it sends a really strong signal that you’re serious.
And then show up.
Show up!
Not just for day 1 and 2 and 3. But show up for a week. Show up for 2 weeks. By the end of 3 weeks it’s a habit. You’re in like flint!
You’ll have some up days. You’ll have some off days. There will be some days when you’ll try to weasel your way out of it. There will be some days when you can’t get your mind to stop its chatter even for a millisecond.
Never mind all of that. Just show up.
Show up and do what you’ve told yourself you’re going to do. If you’re using the 2 minute meditation, then you’ll show up and do that. If you’re using another guided meditation, then you’ll show up and do that. Maybe you’ll show up and light a candle and gaze into the candle for 10 minutes, bringing your mind back to the candle whenever it strays. Perhaps you’ll focus on your breathing for 7 minutes as you breath in and out. Breathing in relaxation and breathing out any tension. Perhaps you’ll repeat the sound “OM” over an over for 20 minutes.
The most important piece is that…
- Your intention is to settle your mind.
- Your intention is to calm and ease any tension.
- Your intention is to slip into a peaceful, gentle state.
- Your intention is to create space and silence.
- Your intention is to connect with Universal Love.
Maybe today you’re taking in 35,000 bits of negativity just through your own thinking… but your tomorrows are going to start shifting as you interrupt that thinking stream and start to create gaps with your meditation practice.
Your meditation will bring you increasing inner space and that space will lead to heightened awareness of negativity and a strong desire for something gentler.
Desire becomes intention. Intention and action drives change.
Peace my fellow adventurer.
Are you ready to get really serious about living a fuller, happier, more vibrant life?
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© Rhégina Sinozich
