At any given time in our life, we all can list several things that are wrong. And we often need to be aware of those wrong things so that we can fix them or at least so that we don’t become unfixed or undone due to them.
However, if our thoughts go toward those things repeatedly, even compulsively, then such thinking will make our emotions increasingly negative. And those negative emotions will undercut our enthusiasm, even sabotage our endeavors to fix the wrong things that are fixable. Not only that, habitual negative emotion may breed a pessimistic disposition that will prevent us from appreciating or even noticing whatever is good in our life. Thus, our thinking may end up causing our tanking, our utter and dismal failure often without even a fight. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (18.35) cautions against self-defeating thought patterns.
How can we protect ourselves from pessimistic thinking? The first step can be simply thinking about thanking: that is, we can try to think about the various things we can be thankful for. Those thoughts will remind us, at least at the intellectual level, that everything in our life is not gloom and doom. What if we still don’t feel positive? Doesn’t matter too much; just thinking about thanking will open another, brighter avenue for the flow of our thoughts.
When we train ourselves to consciously contemplate and attentively articulate the things we are thankful for, at least some of those things will activate a little positive emotion within us. Gradually, that positivity will gain momentum, propelling us to both think more optimistically and act more purposefully. Thereby, we can both unhesitatingly fix whatever wrongs are fixable and in uncomplainingly tolerate those that aren’t.
One-sentence summary:
The more our thoughts dwell on all that is wrong in our life, the more our thoughts go wrong — to stop our thinking from tanking, start thinking about thanking.
Think it over:
- How may our thinking cause our tanking?
- How can we protect ourselves from self-defeating thought patterns?
- How can we generate positive momentum in our life?
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18.35: And that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness and illusion – such unintelligent determination, O son of Pṛthā, is in the mode of darkness.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
Tanking out the pessimistic thoughts and refilling it with postive Thanking, This is right thinking, or deeply if We contemplate ot gave very Beautiful insight like when we Fill the contaminated Container with continuous Inflow of pure water , ultimately clean water replaces the dirty water … Thanks for this article
Good example; thanks for the comment.