There is an expression I first heard several years ago, which made me chuckle. I suppose the metaphor was originally posed to me as a question. "What takes up space in your mind?" Though, I thought this was a humorous way of considering the thoughts we have, I also knew there was a lot of importance in that question. We always have something swirling around in our brains that influence us in one way or another.
There was a follow up question as well, "Are you charging rent for those thoughts to be there?" Meaning, are those thoughts paying for their stay? Do they move us forward in our personal growth or hinder us? Are they positive or negative? Something is going to be in our heads, it might as well be good ideas.
Are you charging rent or are they just squatting for free?
Though, I do not remember who was asking me or the group I was with these questions, I have rather consciously remembered them and their intent. The thoughts we have should be providing for us psychologically, emotionally and even financially. So charge rent! Either have thoughts produce favorable conditions in business and in our private lives, or EVICT them.
Thoughts are funny things. They become unnecessarily attached. They like to make their presence
known consciously, or even slip in through a back door subconsciously, then make themselves at home. For good or bad, these little bits of imagination will control our days, years and even our entire lives. We may HAVE a thought, but it doesn't have to reside in our minds permanently.
What happens when I say the words; purple giraffe? Did you just envision a blue otter in your mind? No, because it was filled with the image of a two-tone lavender equine with a long neck. Granted, this image was planted in your brain, but other thoughts come to us just as quick.
The human brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time with any great detail. And a thought can be brought about by an old memory, an emotion, something someone says to us, the way a room looks when we enter it, a greeting card, billboard, almost anything. But how do we get the unwanted ideas to leave?
Whatever is there, is there. If we tell ourselves to NOT think of something, it's still there. It is especially there because we just reinforced that it’s there by acknowledging it. Though, we cannot allow ourselves to become frustrated when we imagine the worst, like getting fired, breaking up, arguing with our children or Bananarama on tour.
Acknowledge those negative visions for what they are; distortions of reality. Then, simply let them creep on through our mind until they find the exit. They will eventually leave, they always do unless we choose to hold onto them. And by holding onto them I mean excusing them or giving them credence. A thought, feeling or past event does not define you as an entire person. We are so much more.
Have you ever know someone who was stuck in the past? Of course, they’re not really in the past, they just refuse to live in the present. They make the “big idea” the theme of their lives. Whether it was a high school game, flunking out of college, an arrest record or the 2017 salesperson of the year, it’s their sole focus. But does that focus move them forward today?
If not, get unstuck and simply let those thoughts evaporate. Aside from those who need the assistance of a professional therapist, many (if not MOST) of those issues will indeed evaporate. So evict those freeloading squatters!
Where there is a vacancy in the mind, negativity will creep in. Always! I don’t care if you are Gandhi or Tony Robbins, a quiet mind will allow for a home invasion. In fact, you can’t truly stop them.
But of dust they were formed and dust hey will return. So when you next encounter negativity, simply acknowledge it as something that will not help you grow. But don’t catch a tiger by the tail, replace it with something positive or at least something mildly pleasant, like what your weekend will be like.
Consciously say to yourself, “Well, that’s silly” and let it find its own way out. It will leave if you allow it. It wandered in and it will wander out. Wait for an idea which will be a burst of innovation, a warm feeling or reminder of what we have already overcome. Concentrate on those things that help you grow as a person.
Humans are fearful creatures. Negativity is just a survival mechanism to avoid danger. But don’t get stuck there. We have thousands of thoughts a day, we can’t stop that. Though, we can decide which ones stay and charge them rent.