Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just stop thinking about things you didn’t want to think about? Did you know there is a way? Would you like to know what it is? It works! Before I get into what you can do let me ask you this. Have you ever watched a scary movie or a horrible show on TV or your computer late at night. It bothers you so you want to quit. You can’t stop thinking about it? What do you do? What is the best way TO STOP thinking about it?

If you said turn it off you’d be wrong. While that MAY work it usually doesn’t. When you turn off the scary show what typically happens? What happens once it is off? You KEEP thinking about! Right?

You turned it off to get away from it! BUT now all you do is think about it! Again and again. In the dark you cannot stop. You have to get up and turn on the lights. BUT still you keep thinking about it. That is the very thing you don’t want to!

The more you try to stop the more it keeps on. When you resist it what happens? You give it more energy. You are focused on fighting what you do not want so the more it persists! When you push back IT pushes back and vice versa. On and on it continues.

The way to change something or to stop something is not to fight or resist it. Nope!

What You Resist Persists

If you want to stop thinking about the horrible show turn the channel. Watch something else.

Get engaged with different upbeat content. Soon you will forget about the bad show. Brains don’t stop. They keep working. It takes more energy to try to shut them down than to re-direct them into a useful area.

You more easily think of something else when you direct your brain elsewhere. You withdraw your attention from what you don’t want and put your attention on what it is you do want. YOU CHANGE the channel in your mind!

I have called this Mental Aikido for decades because we redirect the energy of our thoughts.

A master of Aikido redirects the energy of an attacker. The master doesn’t resist the attackers energy or try to stop it. Rather the master utilizes it to subdue the attacker. We do the same thing with out thoughts. We don’t try to stop them. We redirect them into the positive.

If an attacker charges the master. The master doesn’t try to stop the attacker or block the attacker. The master will use the attackers momentum to pull him or push him into a different direction while tripping the attacker up and sending him to the ground.

The master won’t try to become a wall and stop the attackers charge. The master uses the energy offered to defeat the attack. I repeat: The master uses the energy offered to defeat the attack!

If you encounter something you don’t want. If you have negative thoughts or feelings or behaviors don’t fight them. They only persist that way. Acknowledge them and move on!

Turn Resistance Into Assistance

Redirect the energy. Think other thoughts. Read inspirational material. Listen or watch funny or uplifting audios and videos. Ask Directed Questions™ that lead you in more useful and positive directions. Divert your attention toward the positive.

Direct you attention to what you want, what feels better and which is more productive.

What else can you pay attention to? Get totally present. Notice and comment on what is immediately around you. Take inventory as you notice sights, sounds, feelings, smells and perhaps, even tastes. Explore the area around you. Comment on it. Put your focus there.

Become filled with gratitude and count your blessings. This is an excellent way to feel better instantly. Savor the wonderful feelings of those people, times, places and things you are most thankful for. Let your heart soften as you feel grateful. Soon you will feel marvelous!

Take a walk, work in the garden. Engage in some physical activity. Use your body differently. Change your physiology. Stand straight, smile. Put a determined look in your eye and walk as if loaded with confidence, positivity and self esteem!

Sing, skip, or dance. Jog or hike. But move and use your body differently. You can do any of these things or more than one.

Take Responsibility

You alone a responsible for your emotions. You are responsible for your own emotional well being. You alone can control what you think, feel and do. Only you. No one else can do it for you.

Might it take some time to get the knack of it? Yes, especially if you have lived your life as a victim to your thoughts and feelings and circumstances. Then it may take a little time. So what?

You can change from victim and become a victor. You can become a winner and a champion!

You simply must take control. Take 100% responsibility. Decide to commit to redirecting your energy whenever you notice it is less than glorious. If you don’t like it or don’t want it, or if you are feeling down and bad take it as a signal.

It is a message delivered to you personally so you can redirect your energy. Negative thoughts and feelings ARE signals that you are paying attention in less than useful ways to things you don’t want. Direct your attention toward the positive. Look into what you do want instead.

Energy Flows Where Your Attention Goes

You can’t stop the river! There is too much energy. If you try to dam it up you end up spending much more energy in managing it. You have to keep it from building up and overflowing. Even then you really cannot stop the river. It still is coming.

BUT, like the Aikido master, you can redirect the flow.

You can direct your energy into positive, powerful, pleasant, healthy, fun and fascinating directions. No need to suffer or remain the same when you can change yourself into anyone you want to be.

You can learn to do anything you want to do. You can have anything you want in life. All this is possible when you take charge of the brain between your ears.

Direct Your Thoughts And Feelings And Your Behaviors Will Follow

You thoughts instantly become things. Your thoughts become actions. When you think happy wonderful thoughts your body responds with action. You smile, your countenance lightens up, you feel uplifted, you might laugh. Your voice resonates. You feel on top of the world.

When you think angry thoughts you feel hot. You experience pressure. You become flushed. Your face gets red as your body responds. Thought become things. Thoughts produce action. Your body responds to your thoughts.

When you think sad depressing thoughts your face pulls downward. Your energy wanes. Your breathing becomes shallow. You feel lackluster and depleted. You shoulders slump forward and you compress your chest. You move sluggishly, slowly.

Thoughts Become Things

Change what you are doing. Even a small change in the correct direction matters. Space ships are guided by degrees. So are sailing ships. A one degree change of course now means hundred of thousands of miles difference later.

For example, a rocket aimed at the moon is constantly correcting its course very slightly. If it got off course by ONLY one degree after take off it would miss the moon by hundreds of thousands of miles. Just a small degree of change means a lot of change.

Change it into a positive direction. Tiny steps in your own best interest right now can have monumentally large results down the road. If you want a more wonderful and glorious future then begin today.

A Single Tiny Change In The Right Direction Can Have A Huge Positive Payoff

Take charge! Be responsible. Direct your mind in positive ways towards what you want.

Be your own best friend. Support and nurture yourself. Have fun while you change. Enjoy the process. Celebrate and fill yourself with gratitude and right attitude. You will discover so much richness and well being when you do! Commit to directing and re-directing you own mind. Don’t be a slave to your thoughts and feelings. Be their master!” Rex Sikes

Enjoy today!

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*Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.

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PSS  A great practice is read the posts daily and then go back and re-read from time to time. You will discover things you missed the first few readings. Try it, you will be surprised.

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