A Matter of Chatter

I first met Cindy during my second year of college, in the cafeteria where she bumped into me. Yes, she literally bumped into me, and the food on her tray went flying all over the place. I heard her mutter under her breath, “What an idiot!” n n“Pardon me,” I replied, not knowing what else to say but definitely feeling that it was not my fault. n n“Oh, no,” she said, “it’s always my fault. I’m really so clumsy. I’m very sorry.” nnThen, I realized that she had been referring to herself. Over the months I got to know her a little better. Sometimes, we’d sit at the same table in the cafeteria, and other times, I’d sit next to her in class. n nIt never ceased to amaze me how often she would call herself an idiot at the smallest thing that happened. It was as if she had been programmed to respond to the slightest misfortune with self-blame. One day, I finally asked her why. Her eyes opened wide as she said that she was not aware that she did. She confessed that it was probably a habit and that she always felt that when anything bad happened, it was her fault. She told me that the voice in her head always told her that she was an idiot and pointed out that she was not as good as others. The constant, negative chatter in her mind was preventing her from achieving her greater potential. n nCindy managed to graduate, and we eventually lost touch with each other, but I always wondered how she was doing. I always hoped that she was able to still the chatter in her mind and to change the programmed voice to a more positive one. nnThe matter of chatter is a very serious one. If we were to listen carefully to what we are saying to ourselves, we would find very interesting conversations going on. If we are happy and fulfilled, these internal conversations are positive, but if we are constantly worried and depressed, we probably have sad and confusing conversations. n nWe can literally change the outside world by first changing our inner world. Generally, it’s our inner conversations that determine what our outer world looks like. If we constantly think sad thoughts, then our self-talk will focus on sad things, and the entire world will appear depressing. If we always think angry thoughts, the world will appear angry—even a beautiful sunset will appear to be filled with angry shades of red. However, if we think peaceful and positive thoughts, the world will seem peaceful and positive to us. n nHow do we silence the endless chatter in our heads? nn* Try to find some quiet time each day and listen to what you are saying to yourself. Don’t be like Cindy, who kept calling herself an idiot. Once in a while, we all say terrible things about ourselves, but if we do it too often, it becomes a habit, and we start believing those things. nn* As you listen to the conversation in your head, do not follow it. Just observe it, and let it go. If you start to focus on the thoughts, you get caught up in them and then carried away by them. nn* After observing your thoughts for a while, you’ll find that they move on and that you are not trapped by them. Remember that your thoughts are not you. You only have them. Don’t even worry about replacing them with positive thoughts—that will come later. nnSimple as the above exercise may seem, it will have the most profound effect on your life. Gradually at first, and then more quickly, you’ll find that a greater calm comes over you. Because you’ve let go of the chatter, the noise diminishes, and you become able to hear the voice of intuition, the voice of the universe seeking to guide and to help you. nnYes, it’s a matter of chatter, clatter, and clutter, and if we turn the volume down, we will be able to hear the beautiful symphonies of life. nn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways.html