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With the incessant chatter that we all have going on in our heads, it's hard to believe that our thoughts are anything more than noise...some electrical process that happens because of a biological chain of events. They're what make us aware, individual, conscious, but they're just a part of our physical existance. In fact, our thoughts are how we identify ourselves as "Me". They're intangible - we can't experience someone elses' thinking. So in the physical world, thoughts appear to be fleeting, elusive, and private. Not much good for existing in a physical world, where we measure what's "real" by what has matter or measurable byproducts (gravity, entropy, etc.). Right?

Possibly.

But consider for a moment that the ONLY things that you actually know to be true are the things that you think are true, and by thinking about something enough, you develop a belief around it. If you believe you had a good childhood, then you did. If you believe you're beautiful, then you are. If you believe you're lovable, then you are. And the reverse is also true. If you believe you're lazy, selfish, victimized, or unlucky, then you are.

"Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

But what happens if a 40 year old thinks they're 15? Nothing. Because they don't really believe it. Chances are, their belief in time and aging is stronger than their thoughts about becoming 15 again.

My experience: The past several years have been burdened with issues that made me feel like I was drowning. Nothing was helping. I went to therapy. I'd been on medication. I read books, listened to motivational podcasts, went to the gym, and considered finding "religion". None of those paths had any lasting effect on the problems I was having. Last year, unexpectedly, I came upon this suggestion: thoughts create our reality. Until then, I thought my mental chatter was just background noise and that my job was just to talk myself out of feeling lousy. It never occurred to me that every time I thought, "I feel lousy", I was creating the lousy feelings. Ultimately, I gave myself a 30 day trial to see if thinking differently could make me feel differently. It was a deceptively difficult.

Try thinking about about an elephant for as long as you can before your mind starts wandering. Your attention will be surprisingly short. Now try to think about something that you don't already believe about yourself (for example, think that you're a happy person) and focus on that. Remind yourself. Daydream about it. Do things that make you happy. Notice all the joy around you. Spend time with happy people. Watch happy movies. Listen to joyful music. Think, think, think about how happy you are in your life.

Dudes, lemme tell you, it's hard. But an already-happy person thinks this way.

Don't quite see how that would work in the "real" world? Here's a reverse example:

The Stereotypical Depressed Teenager. They wear black, they listen to sad, dark, or angry music. Their friends are similarly depressed. Their clothes announce to the world that they're in pain. They write sad poetry. They become fanatical about dark subjects. In the meantime, their parents are thinking What happened to my happy baby? He was such a joy! But what's happening is that this stereotypical teenager is working to convince himself that he's something new. And it works. And he will become this new person until he wants to become something else.

So, that's what I did with my particular issues concerning depression, disorganization, procrastination, etc. My 30 day trial has expanded into about 6 months. I have more discipline, more energy, more happiness, more patience with myself, and more excitement about the work I do. There was no key that unlocked this in me - there was no magic words that someone told me - there was no analytical breakdown of WHY I was depressed, other than that I believed that I was....until I changed my mind and believed that I wasn't.

I realize that you're not used to reading about my philosophical opinions in this blog. It's not something I plan on discussing much more here (there are plenty of other blogs that are dedicated to these topics) - but the changes I've been experiencing in my private life have been profound and very meaningful to me...and I really wanted to share with you a window to my new experiences.

"Thinking thoughts, part one"