Why do we often find it so hard to change our
thinking?
According to those in the know, even if we are presented
with facts and evidence that upends our current thinking,
we tend to stick with our old way of thinking.
This they say, is because our beliefs are the key to
our understanding of who we are and the way
we understand the world we live in.
In other words, our belief-systems are so deeply
ingrained in us that to change any part of it
can feel like we are unravelling our identity.
''Your life does not get better by chance; it gets
better by change.'' (Jim Rohn)
"If you don't like something, change it.
If you can't change it, change your attitude.''
(Maya Angelou)
What does it take for us to change our thinking?
What does it take for us to differentiate facts from opinion,
evidence from hearsay, what we know from what we
think we know?
What does it take for us to be willing to entertain
the notion that perhaps rather than thinking with a
''right and wrong mindset'', there may be many
other possible mindsets of thinking?
Emotions, whether we are aware of them or not,
profoundly influence our thinking.
(Although much societal emphasis is given to rationality,
some recent research shows that only 5-10% of
the decisions we make are based on rationality.)
Emotions; how we feel about something, together
with our cognitive biases (belief perseverance),
those in the know say far outweigh logic and rationality
when it comes to how we think and perceive the world
we live in.
Our thoughts create our feelings, and our feelings
drive our behaviour.
Someone once described it to me this way:
There's a situation. (S)
In response to that situation there's a thought. (T)
That thought evokes an emotional response. (E)
Example:
S > Where's my phone? It should be here where
I left it.
T > Somebody has stolen my phone!
E > Anger, disappointment, frustration.
or
S > Where's my phone? It should be here where
I left it.
T > Did I move my phone? I better check.
I may have left it at my desk.
E > Optimism, positive mindset.
When I was a performing musician, there were times when
the gigs dried up and I had to find other work
in order to pay the bills for me and my son.
Most of the time that meant working in different
warehouses picking and packing orders.
As I found the work tedious I would entertain
myself by trying to do the work faster and more
efficiently.
This did not go down well with the ''regulars''
which resulted in them ''bullying'' and making
life difficult for me.
S > I need money to pay the bills.
T > I have to be here but I don't want to.
E > Anger, frustration, sadness.
I would come home absolutely wrecked and
depressed, until.........
S > I need money to pay the bills.
T > I'm here for the time being. I can't change
the way they treat me, but I can change how
I view their behaviour. For me this is a stop-gap
situation, for them it's all they've got.
E > This too will pass, and so will they...I'm okay.
Really understanding the connection between thoughts and
emotions has been a great help for me in order
to better deal with and understand myself and the
world I live in.
Along the way of trying to better myself I have
made myself some 'self-help' tools that I would like to share
with you.
''You may not be able to change the world,
but you can change you.''
*
''With your words you create your world.''
*
''Changed thinking, changed emotional response.''
*
''All possibilities entertained.''
*
''If you can't change your situation,
change your attitude to the situation.''
(Citizen Z)
''It's not the strongest of the species that survive,
nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.''
(Charles Darwin)
about the image: Water colour on paper, some editing in Elements