Supercoach - Michael Neill [39]
Now, in and of themselves those thoughts are not a problem. You might experience a slight boost in your feelings when the happier thoughts float by and a slight dip in your mood when the more negative ones pass through, but if you let each thought pass without thinking about it too much, the thought stream will simply flow on quietly in the background throughout your day. But when you step in and start to actively think about thoughts, they can become a problem. For example:
I’m going to be late, I just know I’m going to be late, I shouldn’t have eaten that extra piece of cake last night, I’m a fat disgusting slob, no wonder no one will ever find me attractive—why is this always the way? If only I had more willpower, I’m definitely going on that diet tomorrow, but what’s the point, I never stick to anything, I’m such a loser . . . I need more cake!
It’s easy to imagine where this train of thought might lead and the associated bad feelings and potentially poor decisions that could follow from it. The Toltec shaman don Miguel Ruiz describes this phenomenon as being “hooked” by a thought—and once we agree to give our attention to any given thought, it becomes more and more real to us over time and has more and more power over our lives.
The trick (if you want a less stressful, more enjoyable life) is not to call in the thought police, but rather to allow any and all thoughts to pass through your head unhindered. If you let a negative thought pass through your head without giving it a second thought (or a third, or fourth, or even fiftieth), it will have no impact on your life. But if you get hooked by it, dwell on it, make it important, and start to think about it and claim it for your own, then you’ll become subject to its inevitable effects.
Here’s a simple exercise about thoughts that can lead to some profound insights:
Thoughts Without a Thinker
1. Take a few minutes to really listen to your internal dialogue. You may find it easier to do this if you write it down in “real time,” taking dictation, as it were, from that voice inside your head.
2. Notice the somewhat random nature of these thoughts. (If they seem very linear and organized, that’s because you have been thinking them instead of simply noticing them.)
3. As best you can, allow each thought to pass through your mind without clinging to it or taking it over for yourself. If you do notice you’ve gotten caught up in a particular train of thought, just let it go or ride it out to its inevitable conclusion. Notice if a higher thought comes to take its place!
The Scale of Emotions
“Underneath every desire is the desire to feel good.”
— from The Teachings of Abraham®
You’ll find that as you step off a self-defeating train of thought, you nearly always move up one or two notes on the scale of emotions. While there are many of these “scales” floating around, the one I tend to use comes from supercoach Lester Levenson, the inspiration behind both the Sedona Method and the Release Technique, two excellent systems I often recommend that my clients learn and master.
Essentially, there are nine emotional states you can experience in relation to any goal or project you may be working on, depending on what’s going on with your thinking. The higher up the scale you go, the better you’ll feel, the more clearly you’ll think, the more energy you’ll have, and the more quickly and easily you’ll be able to create what you want.
The Scale of Emotions
Peace
Acceptance
Courageousness
* * *
Pride
Anger
Lust
Fear
Grief
Apathy
Here are the nine “notes” of the emotional