As a man thinks, so he is...........

Have you ever found yourself thinking: ''There's just too

much noise(going on) for me to think clearly. I've got to go

somewhere where I can focus my thinking.''

According to those ''in the know'' we make thousands of

decisions every day. Most of those decisions we make

unconsciously and can be categorized as habits.

Most of us get up about the same time, eat the same breakfast,

have the same hot drink, check our phones, emails, messages,

and the same media and social platforms.

According to some stats many of us sleep with our phones

next to us and when awake check our phones every six minutes 

without being aware of doing so.

(Some research suggests that only 10% of the decisions we make

every day are made consciously.)

Habits, once we have developed them, can be difficult to break.

According to Ann Graybiel, (professor at MIT) there's a part in the 

brain(basal ganglia)that assists us in developing habits so that

 they become automatic. This frees up space in our brains and

 memories so that we can take in all the other things 

we deal with every day.

Which is good, yes?

 Well, yes, if they are ''good'' (as in healthy/life-affirming)

habits...however, it does the same with ''bad''/unhealthy habits.

Habits can easily turn in to addictions, obsessions, and

mental health issues. ''Thinking'' our way out of such habits can

be very difficult which is why it is in my view a good idea to

scrutinize our habits now and then and ponder whether they are

 of benefit or detriment to our well-being.

''As a man thinks, so he is; as he continues to think,

so he remains.'' (James Allen)

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Thien Buddhist monk,

in one of his books writes about how we often do things

so automatically that even when we are eating or

drinking something hot, we don't actually taste it.

Mea culpa.

(I was actually drinking a coffee when I read that

and I was not really tasting it.)

Reading those wise words of Thich Nhat Hanh, I realized

just how much of my life was experienced on

automatic pilot.

And.....It didn't apply only to tasting, it applied just as much to

doing, feeling, and thinking.

When I got up in the morning, was I aware of my thoughts?

When I put my clothes on, did I feel the fabric on my skin?

When I ate my toast, did I actually taste it?

When I washed up my plate and cup, was I aware of doing it?

Nah, is the honest answer.

It became abundantly clear to me that I needed to get off

my automatic pilot and to start making sure that wherever

I was,.....I was there.

What about you?

When you had breakfast this morning, can you remember

tasting it?

If you woke up this morning feeling a bit ''down'', can you

remember what your thoughts were before you became 

aware of feeling a bit down?

Emotions/feelings, so some say, are our bodies response to

our thinking whether we are aware of it or not.

(Our belief systems and unconscious thoughts are on autopilot

a lot of the time which is why at times we may be

puzzled by our emotional responses.)

''In the egoic state, your sense of self, 

your identity, 

 is derived from your thinking mind 

- in other words,

 what your mind tells you

 about yourself:

the storyline about you, the memories,

 the expectations,

all the thoughts that goes through 

your head continuously

and all the emotions that 

reflect those thoughts.

All those things that make 

up your sense of self.''

(Eckhart Tolle)

It can be hard to think sometimes.

We do live in a noisy world.

But thinking about stuff is important.

Often we make ''better'' decisions

when we spend some in-depth thinking

before we act.

Whether we do our best thinking while

on the commode or on the beach,

the crux is - thinking about....

thinking.

about the image: ink on paper

Title: ''Rodin, what are you thinking about?''