The Power of Thought

          Would you like me to show you how the thoughts you choose can effect your reality? Let's try a little exercise. It will only take a few minutes.
          Start the song below, and close your eyes. Take note of how it makes you feel. Soothing isn't it? Listen to the whole song before you continue reading on.

       
     
    
Now listen to it again, but this time close your eyes and while you are taking it in, imagine yourself experiencing a really tough time in your life. Maybe the day you found out your parents were getting divorced. Maybe being at the funereal of a close loved one. Maybe the moment your boy friend or girlfriend of several years broke up with you. Maybe an event much worse than these if you can bear it.
          Take note of how it makes you feel now. Does it bring you great sorrow? Does it make you feel sick to your stomach? Does it anger you? Annoy you? More than likely you associate that song now with the negative emotions you have just felt because of recalling a past negative experience.  
          However, you might feel the contrary. Imagine the song playing while you are experiencing one of these negative memories again. Do you consider the song to be an escape? Do you close your eyes and get lost in the song while the chaos is going on around you? If you chose to do that, then the song would represent something peaceful to you.
         Depending on how you choose to experience the song, the song will trigger either negative or positive emotions for you. And it will likely forever play that role. Every time you hear that song it will trigger the memory of this exercise, in turn triggering the negative memory you recalled, in turn triggering the feeling you chose to feel about the song. They are forever connected in your memory and will continue to make you feel a particular emotion until you choose to view it all differently.
         Since this is only an exercise, the song will probably not really make a lasting impression on you subconsciously like it would if this song were to have actually been playing while you were experiencing something terrible. The subconscious effects of association such as these can really screw with us.
         I believe we have emotions for a reason. Emotions aren't a bad thing. They are there to let us know when we shouldn't do something. Trying to go through with something that gives you that pit of discomfort and unease in your gut literally makes you want to die, doesn't it? We feel shame and guilt inside which are negative emotions that let us know we should maybe reevaluate our intentions and stop what we are attempting to do.
          Emotions can help keep us on track, but if we have associated something harmless with negative emotions from a traumatic event that we have experienced, like pain, hurt, distrust, or frustration we end up consciously thinking that harmless thing or person is bad, even if that thing only occurred the one time or the person has never acted in such a way since. Our inner consciousness will cause us to react in a way we don't want to and many times don't understand.
          Many people don't realize that your brain doesn't know the difference between what it's experiencing in the present moment, and what it remembers from a past event. From a chemical/emotional standpoint your brain views them as the same experience because your inner consciousness knows no time. No past, present or future.  In the inner conscious parts of your brain, they are all connected. This problem can go on forever until you stop it and that can be the tricky part.
           If the problems exist subconsciously, then wouldn't we have to address the problem subconsciously? Absolutely. But it can still start with making conscious choices.
           Let's look at an example. I think practically everyone has experienced food poisoning. And we all know that even though what caused the food poisoning is likely something you ate 18 to 24 hours prior to vomiting, whatever you ate the day your body decides to react to the food poisoning is what is going to actually be regurgitated. Even though that meal you're puking up isn't what caused the food poisoning, you will associate that combination of foods with the horrible icky feelings of nausea and puking and will likely not eat that food for a long time, if ever again. In fact, just the thought of that meal or food you threw up will probably make you feel nauseated because, as I said, the brain doesn't know the difference between what it is experiencing and what it is recalling. A thought is as good as reality to the mind. And since you don't know what food exactly caused the food poisoning, you usually can't associate what you ate 24 hours prior with vomiting. Rather you're going to associate what came up with being sick to your stomach. Association will forever make you gross out over a food that may have been one of your favorites up until the point of yacking.
         Though this is a subconscious affect, you can still make a choice to overcome that way of thinking. Let's say that the food you hurled was strawberries. And after that fun trip to the john, you don't ever want to think about strawberries again; just the thought makes you want to hurl all over again. Try this... The next time you're going to have sex, incorporate strawberries into it. Chances are, you're going to be so into the sex that the negative thoughts about the strawberries won't be present. "Sure, I'll eat that strawberry off your..." You get the point. After that, you are likely to view strawberries a little differently because you now have something positive and fun to associate them with.
          Sometimes our subconsciousness has to be confronted with "truth" for our emotions about a thing to be changed. You decide the truth. Do you eat too many sweets? Then tell yourself the "truth" every time you are going for a donut or cookie. Say, "This is going to make me obese, " or "This is going to kill me," or "What am I doing? I HATE these!" Are you terrified of roaches? Tell yourself the "truth" when you see one. Say, "Roaches can't hurt me," or "Roaches are more afraid of me than I am of them." It could be a more serious situation... do you resent your spouse for something they use to do years ago, and you just can't seem to shake those emotions every time you see them? Then tell yourself the TRUTH. Write a list of all the things you like about your spouse. Consciously and continuously focus on their strengths and the things they do that make you happy and you will find that your emotions of resentment will gradually fade. Retrain your emotions about a thing by what you believe about it. It starts with what you tell yourself habitually.
         Now there is a much quicker way to rewire your brain, and that is through meditation or hypnosis, which is what I prefer, but even if you are using meditation exercises, you still must make a conscious choice to think differently about the thing you are having an issue with.
          We decide what we think about. Those thoughts determine how we feel about a thing or person. In matters of emotions, we must learn the balance. Emotions are there to tell us when something isn't right. For the most part, we should steer clear from the situations that make us feel negative emotions and gravitate toward the situations and people that lift us up and make us feel positive emotions. However, we clearly cannot always depend on our emotions.
          We have all heard the phrase, "Emotions can lie." I don't believe that phrase it true. Emotions don't ever lie; they are very honest. They ALWAYS tell us when we like something and when we don't like something. They ALWAYS tell us when we are thinking about something negative or something positive. No, they don't ever lie. Emotions are not to blame for anything bad. They keep us on track. They tell us what we are thinking about. THOUGHTS are to blame, and thoughts can be controlled much easier than emotions.
          When my emotions tell me I don't like my husband, it is the truth! In that moment, I DON'T like my husband because I'm thinking about all the things he does that I don't like. But you know why I don't leave him? Because I feel happy, positive emotions when I am around him FAR more than I feel negative ones, and I love him for that. And I CHOOSE to focus my thoughts on his positive qualities. That makes a huge difference in how I FEEL when I am around him. The times I feel negative emotions it is an indication that we (and I) are off track somewhere and not thinking the right way. Most of the time, if we do some self examination, we learn that others make us feel bad because we allow them to. Often times, if we just let it roll off our backs, dwell on other things and respond in a positive way, the other person's actions will change for the good without us having to pressure or manipulate them into it.
           I'll say it again. Your emotions are there for a reason. Do you want to be happy? Do you want to live a life of peace with no or little regret? Then USE your emotions as a road map to figuring out what makes life the best. Your emotions will help you figure out what makes your life the most fulfilling. What makes you happy? Then choose to do THOSE things. Who makes you happy? Then choose to be around THOSE people. It's pretty simple.
          And if your past choices have landed you in a place you don't care for, work with what you currently have to make things better by the power of your thoughts. Think positively. Tell yourself positive things. Look for the best in people and situations, not the worst. And if those people refuse to conform to your positivity, then I promise you the universe will open a door for you to go somewhere where there ARE positive people.
         Your thoughts, emotions and attitudes are VERY powerful. They literally create your reality. They form your life. Don't believe me? Just look around.