Tag: Reality

Tune Yourself

If you believe in the law of attraction and understand that what you think you become then read on, otherwise you are wasting your time by reading the rest of this post. I say that because if you don’t believe in the law of attraction what I’m about to explain becomes somewhat pointless.

how-to-manifest-law-of-attraction

In a recent post I wrote about how to stop reacting to life and begin controlling your thoughts to increase your level of happiness. I would like to think that what I’m about to say builds on this idea, refining and expanding upon it. If you believe that what you think about becomes your reality then you must make sure you are feeding your mind good thoughts. If you have a shred of introspection in your mind, you will begin to recognize when  you go from good to bad thoughts and you can then begin to catch yourself steering your thoughts back into the right direction. It doesn’t take much to go from thinking good thoughts about things that make you happy to reversing it and becoming critical. We often obsess over problems we are experiencing and in doing so we have blocked the good thoughts from taking their place. Obsessing over perceived problems is one of the toughest negative thinking patterns to break.

I like this quote because this is your only way out of the negative thinking patterns that come from obsessing over problems.

I dont fix problems-quote

There are basically two choices when it comes to creating that positive mindset that allow the law of attraction to work for you instead of against you.

  1. Stop the negative pattern from appearing in the first place.
  2. Using your ability to realize that you have slipped into a negative state of mind and replace it with positive thoughts.

Let’s take the first one. What are some ways we can stop the negative thinking pattern from occurring? Here are a few things to consider:

  • The best time to set the stage for your thinking is when you first get up in the morning. Remember the idea here is to put those good thoughts in your head so that they become the dominant things on our mind.
  • I find that yoga and meditation both are great ways to start your day on a positive note.
  • Maybe for you it is music or watching some uplifting YouTube videos like the one below:

What about the second scenario where you have already allowed the negative thoughts to become predominant? We would all prefer that this doesn’t happen, but let’s be realistic we all must learn to cope with the negative thinking pattern that now has control. Here are a few ways to overcome the negative thought pattern and turn it into a positive one:

  • First you must understand the damage that is being done. You have now set the law of attraction into motion attracting more negative thoughts. Remember what you think you become, so if you think negative thoughts you become negative and negative things are now being attracted to you. All I’m saying is you have sufficient motivation to change the way you are thinking.
  • The longer you wallow in your negative thoughts the greater the damage, so you need to start catching yourself as your thoughts go from positive to negative. These are the moments when you say to yourself, I wish I hadn’t said that or reacted that way. Recognize this is very good, because you are not only aware of the negative thought pattern, but you are putting yourself in the state of mind to change it.
  • Once you recognize you have negative thoughts pervading your mind then you need to do something immediately to limit the damage and turn things around. Tune into something that you love, which sometimes means removing yourself from the thing you are doing if possible. Here are few ways you can snap yourself out of the negative and tune yourself to the positive:
    • Get up and take a walk for 10-15 minutes, this alone will give you a chance to think about something else.
    • Take a break. They have done a lot of studies that say every 45-60 minutes you need to take a break from what your doing and give your mind and body a chance to recover.
    • Think about some of the things you really enjoy like music, people you love, hobbies, areas of interest, your dog or cat, sitting on a beach, walking on a wooded trail. Add to this list the things that make you feel good. Oh I almost forgot as you think about those things you enjoy, smile!
    • Think about something or someone you are grateful for. As you think about each thing you are grateful for really focus on it for a couple minutes. It’s tough to be negative when you feel grateful.

The law of attraction is a powerful reality and it responds to what you are thinking, so it is imperative that you spend the majority of your time focused on good thoughts. What you think about is a choice so choose wisely. Ultimately it is you that controls the world that you see. Control your thoughts and control your reality.

Namaste

 

Right Views

In my post the Fourth Noble Truth I discussed how to overcome suffering by following the Eightfold Path. The Buddha wanted us to have a way forward instead of just letting life happen to us. The Eightfold Path is the way, and guides our practice. Each of these precepts deserves an explanation because they are not always what they seem on the surface. In this post I want to focus on Right Views. The path is as follows:

  1. Right Views (understanding)
  2. Right Intent
  3. Right Speech
  4. Right Conduct
  5. Right Livelihood
  6. Right Effort
  7. Right Mindfulness
  8. Right Concentration

To be honest I write about the Eightfold Path as much as a way to reinforce my own knowledge, as it is to share with you. I wrote the Eightfold Path on my white board in my office as a way to keep myself focused on my own practice. It acts as a reminder to me every time I walk into that room.

Right View is to see the world as it really is, not as we wish to see it. Often times Right View is also interpreted as Right Understanding. It is almost impossible to follow the path if we perceive the world in an unrealistic fashion. From a personal perspective we cannot view it as all bad or good, for this would be deceiving our-self. Look around you there is evil in the world, suffering, pain, and many problems too numerous to list. Conversely there is opportunity, charity, compassion, and love that surrounds us. Right View helps us see the world as it is, not through rose colored glasses, but for what it really is. We can then use this Right Understanding to set the stage for our practice. The Buddha did not want us to go through life without understanding the reality of our existence and others in this world. I wanted to share a few examples examples of not having the Right View:

  • All politicians are all self centered, egotistical beings, that do nothing for society.
  • The world is a safe place, and there is nothing to fear.
  • The majority of people in the world are self serving, ignorant, uncaring individuals motivated only by greed.
  • Your future is predestined at birth and you have no control over the present or future.

Are any of these examples actually true? Right View will allow you to see things as they are, not in some absurd generalization. One bit of advice I have if you would like to begin moving in the direction of having a Right View, and it would be to stop watching so much news on the television. Watching CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and even local news provides a prescribed view of the world that does little to help you understand reality. I recently quit watching the news and instead now have more time for writing, reading, and viewing YouTube videos where the focus is on learning. Most of the news media focuses disproportionately on the negative, which can only lead to wrong views.

three-things-cannot-be-hidden

My next post will be about Right Intent. Please share how you are working towards obtaining right understanding in your life.

Namaste