Mind Control

Mind Control

Mind Control By Lynne A. Hoft, EdD & Vivian Hildebrandt, MA

Do you have trouble getting to sleep? Are your thoughts keeping you awake? Try as one might, it often seems impossible to quiet those racing thoughts. Yet it is possible to quiet a busy mind by understanding that each of us has the ability to choose which thoughts we want to put our attention on and let go of the rest.

Beyond knowing that thought is a function of being alive, it's key to recognize that WE can train ourselves to control which thoughts we focus on. Instead of letting our minds run loose, we can take charge of our thinking and therefore our lives. Just as we can train our bodies to execute beautiful dance movements, we can teach our minds to choose beautiful thoughts. Without the training for surfing, dancing, or skating, for example, we wouldn't have the freedom to do these wonderful things. By training ourselves to choose the thoughts we want to express, we gain the freedom to create the lives we truly want to live.

To be in control of our thinking, we need to learn certain skills. We need to know the practices, strategies, and tools that will help us take control of our thinking. We've already talked about taking deep breaths when we feel agitated or stressed. These deep breaths will always help us shift the flow of our thinking. A tool one of our clients uses is canceling one thought with another by saying to himself, What was I thinking? Another strategy is to practice asking yourself these questions: Is this where I want to go? Is this working for me? Is this really true? When we start to get caught up in our thinking, we can self-talk our way out of it by saying, Oops! Erase (that thought)! It's not worth it! Knowing that you are in charge, you will find your own unique strategies that will allow you to shift your thinking so it works for you rather than against you.

You might remember the old story of Pete and Repeat. One person says to another: "Pete and Repeat were in a boat. Pete fell out and who was left?" The answer, of course, is Repeat. The first person plays along, repeating the riddle until the second wakes up to the fact that this is a pattern and stops the game. In our lives, our thoughts just keep repeating until we realize we've developed a pattern. At that point we can stop "playing the game" and use our thoughts to create the lives we want.

Lynne Hoft and Vivian Hildebrandt publish The Ultimate Treasure, a weekly e-zine for adventurers who are looking for brilliance, freedom, and happiness. If you are ready to discover the secret for creating your dreams and being truly happy, sign up for our e-zine at www.backtobrilliance.com. To receive a FREE bonus article, go to http://www.masteryourmindset.com/freereport.html

Excerpted from Be Happy Now by Lynne Hoft and Vivian Hildebrandt. ©2007 Back to Brilliance LLC.