5 Ways to Use Thought as a Conscious Tool for Creating Your Life

Thought is the basic building block of human creation. The bestselling book by Napoleon Hill is entitled, Think and Grow Rich. Not Take Massive Action and Follow All The Rules, Then You’ll Be Rich. Another bestseller title is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Not The 7 Strict Formulas for Action of Highly Effective People. And although, both books include stories about actions taken to reach success – as they must for others to see the examples set forth in them – both also detail that the action must first begin with thought and the habitual behavior predicated on those thoughts. It always does. All of your actions begin with a thought, or thoughts. And since there aren’t enough articles written on the thoughts that precede the beast we call action today that is held up on a formulaic pedestal, this article is written to recognize the integral, and most important part thought plays in everything we do.

Back to that first thought… Thought is the basic building block of human creation. Since it is that most basic building block, in order to create anything of any proportion – in other words, to “build” something – thought must be propelled by a force, a force as great as it that can co-pilot as imagination becomes reality. This is where desire comes in. (And no, not sexual desire. While that is the way the word “desire” is best known, it is not the only way the word is defined.) I’m referencing here desire at its most basic as in, “I desire to eat an orange,” or as we would say today, “I want to eat,” “I want some food,” or “I want an orange.” Thoughts are propelled by desire.

Your thoughts are always aligned with your beliefs. Why have I begun talking about beliefs here? I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the distinction between belief and thought. Because belief is a more potent form of thought. A very potent form of thought. So… do you know what your beliefs are? We put a lot of stock as human beings in belief and how important it is to us and our world. “What we believe in” is a constant conversation used to hold up either what’s right or what’s wrong in this world.

Well, what are your beliefs? Your beliefs can be your values, morals and ethics, but they can also be your superstitions, and inherited beliefs from your parents, family, society, culture, previous generations, your ethnic group or familial ancestors. Most times, you are not fully aware of all of your beliefs, or even, your sacred cows. And because of this, you may not be aware of from where your behavior stems. You may know where your predictable behavior stems, but what about the erratic behavior that happens when you’re not looking. Like when you cry for “no reason,” or when you  fly off the handle, or when you lash out at someone and you know better. There are beliefs you hold that anchor those behaviors, but you have no idea what they are.

So to get grounded in how thought works and get the most out of this article, I’ll make the premise simple. A belief is a thought you think often. The “often-ness” of it is what makes it such a potent form of thought. Your continual focus on this thought, whether conscious or unconscious, is what gives this thought momentum and helps it to become a moving force and a creative power in your world.

So if beliefs are thoughts, and thoughts are the building blocks of all creation, then it follows… All there is to be is conscious of your thinking to create powerfully and intentionally.

Ah, sometimes easier said than done, yes? So here are a few guiding principles that can help you in the times when you want to consciously have something happen or create something that you know you want – whether that be an enthralling career, a beautiful family, that winning season, the brand new startup, a bestseller, your thesis, a community project, that neighborhood play, a new lifestyle brand, that hip retail concept in your little corner of the earth or anything else your mind can dream up.

First up… If you don’t like your behavior, change your belief. That behavior that keeps happening even though you wish to hell it didn’t pissing you off once again? First comes acceptance. Acceptance of it as the reality that’s currently running in your life like an app runs on a computer. Accepting the troubled areas of your life is accepting your beliefs that created those troubles. This is sometimes the most difficult part, as we like to look outside of ourselves to substantiate our claim as to why life “sucks.” You don’t have to like what I’ve said, just try it on like you would a dress or a suit at the store to see if it fits. Once you’ve chosen to explore, discover, and accept your belief (and for real, not in pretense) then you will gain access to insights about how to alter it. G.I. Joe used to say, “Knowing is half the battle,” and this little bit of levity totally applies here.

It’s like a turnstile in a subway. You can’t act as if the turnstile isn’t there, like how we sometimes try to avoid or deny what’s right before us in our lives. You avoid the reality of the turnstile and try running through it, you’ll end up a hurt and bloody mess. But see the turnstile for what it is, real and existing in front of you, there to be dealt with, even if you decide to jump it – a totally possible way of approaching it – you’ll still be dealing with the reality of the turnstile; and not your own stubborn point of view.

Second up… Knowing your values increases your ability to consciously create. Take a look and discern what your values are. What do you hold important? What do you value in a person? In a relationship? In your career? In your adventures? Looking at and discovering what you value helps you to focus your thoughts, your mind. Focused thought is more potent than unfocused thought and is easier to be propelled by desire because your thought is clear and not filled with chaos.

Knowing what you value also helps you to discern with greater clarity what you want in your life, and out of your life. Becoming aware can bring you opportunity to be creative in new conscious applications of your forethought and action. Being aware of your values also helps you to appreciate the life you have and how you’ve already masterfully created so much of it. Appreciation is a very potent form of creating more of what you like, want and love in your life. Some call it “gratitude.”

Next up… Uncover your core beliefs influencing your behavior and actions. A belief is just a thought that you give more attention to than other thoughts. Core beliefs can be formed during childhood when your connection to your emotions was purest, with the least resistance. Uncovering your core thoughts/beliefs is a matter of reverse engineering. When you work back from your behavior and the results your behavior produces, you can begin to see what is at the core of your thought process – your brain’s logic, which does not always accurately reflect your logic. Your brain’s core initiative is your survival. That often means its purpose and yours, especially when yours is to be happy, can be at odds with one another. Given your brain is totally responsible for your nervous system, and your nervous system is completely responsible for all the functions of your body, that can provide a great challenge to your ability to be “in control” of what you’re doing.

Your brain’s logic is not based on the same thought parameters. A pure example of this is the simple task of your Amygdala, which initiates your fight or flight response. A particularly intense argument with a loved one can pose the same level of danger to your amygdala as the threat of death. Disagreement with a spouse, family member, friend, or foe, contention in a work-related matter, money issues, or loss of a loved one or a close relationship can all trigger this protective mechanism in your brain. The logic that this part of your brain follows, if uncovered, may not always make sense to your logical mind; but if you add 1 to 1, 2 will follow.

You can uncover these core thoughts by looking at your relationships with others and, more importantly, the way you relate to yourself. Using a friendly, supportive sounding board and/or outside pov, like a coach, support group, therapist or good friend, you can find what lay hidden – mostly from you – under the surface. When you become conscious of these core thoughts/beliefs, you then gain access to shifting them. Sometimes all that’s necessary for a shift is to simply accept that they exist. Acceptance dissipates all the emotional intensity that is attached and influencing so much of your everyday or consistent behavior.

Next up… Be responsible for your thoughts. Consciousness is always the first step. And often the second is being responsible for that your thoughts emanate from you. No one else but you. Think you’re being disregarded, disrespected, oppressed by something or someone? It all begins with a thought. Consider… Who’s having the thought, “I’m being disregarded, disrespected, oppressed?”

If you answered, “Me,” you’re pointing in the right direction.

Thoughts become things. Realizing your thoughts, the ones you put your attention on, are creating your reality, is the beginning of being aware and awake.

Simply being responsible for that it’s the voice in your head telling you all the bad things about your boss, that your friend is betraying you, that your mom is stunting your growth, that your circumstances are the worse that have ever been, that your situation has never happened to anyone else, that your life is a hot mess, you become conscious of the thoughts you’re having that are running your life. Remember our beginning premise… Thought is the basic building block of human creation. It’s the voice in your head that has your accent representing all your thought processing. The voice in your head doesn’t make you crazy, it makes you human. Noticing and being responsible for this one thing will give you a substantial increase in your personal power than you currently experience.

Finally… First come thoughts, then come emotions. All thoughts lead to emotions. If a thought of yours leads to negative emotions, then it is also stealing your power, your aliveness, your joy. Emotions are valuable tools, if allowed to be seen, heard, noticed, felt. If you’re not having the result you’d like in your life, check in with your emotions. Feel and discover. Get real with your emotions. We like to fool ourselves sometimes. Being straight with yourself will make this most potent.

Once you’ve discovered the negative emotion, seek out the thought behind it that is disempowering you. Once you know about the thought that is dissipating your power, you can take the thought and turn it on its head. Find its opposite, or the version that feels better. Once you have the good-feeling thought, milk it for the good feeling it provides. Your continued attention and focus on the new thought will give it more and more credence in your brain, causing rewiring, and more and more power within you connected to it. An empowered thought is a powerful thought. Redundant, but potent. (See? Nothing but power here.)

These are all ways you can become conscious of your thinking that is already influencing your experience and your behavior, and change it. These are ways to use your conscious thought to create what you want. Thoughts don’t have to sabotage us. All thought, conscious or subconscious, can be used to our benefit. Taking your time, being willing to explore and discover, and getting help from others can provide you the opportunity to be a part of your own transformative and creative processes again and again.

Monique, Fierce Purveyor of Bliss. The Revolution Of Bliss.com!

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