Secrets Revealed: What You Need to Know About Your Thoughts

Understanding the World of the Heart

    The heart is basically just an organ from a biological perspective; it seems harmless when you look at it but lest be fooled, it can be very precarious if not diligently guarded. We are what we are in life based on the thoughts that have arisen in our hearts and established themselves till fruition. Simply think about it, a thought arose inside of you of wanting to be rich. For you to be rich, you need to make money, for you to make money, you need a job or a business to provide the financially capability of being rich. Thought after thought arose and the ones which deemed fit finally settled in and bore fruit. It’s funny how this works but it’s nothing short from the truth. We are basically defined by our thoughts; they are not visible but have the most powerful impacts not only in the society but globally.

    A quick example is that of an athlete. A young girl partakes in 100 meter races at school with the hopes of becoming the fastest woman in the world. This thought arose in her and she even joins various sports clubs in order to fulfill her wish. She wakes up at 4am everyday for training and opts to run to school instead of taking the bus. Once she’s old enough to participate in world championships, she signs up and tries her luck. She must become the winner no matter what and if she fails, she gets up and tries again. The thought of becoming the world’s best has already been established and she will not rest until she has achieved it.

Beneficial and Damaging Thoughts 

There are two types of thoughts; beneficial and damaging thoughts. Beneficial thoughts are thoughts which lead you into the right direction. The thought of becoming a doctor to save lives, the thought of joining the military in order to fight for your country or the thought of becoming an organic farmer in order to produce chemical free foods and enhance sustainable agriculture. As much as beneficial thoughts arise in us, harmful and damaging thoughts also arise. In fact, harmful thoughts are more prone to arise from our hearts compared to beneficial thoughts. A normal human being gets 42 thoughts in a minute, which is approximately around 2,520 thoughts within a single hour. These tend to be all sorts of thoughts and 85% of them are usually negative.

Every day, you wake up to a battle field because you have to constantly fight off damaging thoughts which if followed, can end up ruining your life for good. For instance, there was this diligent and very obedient employee. His name was Tom. Tom was a man who loved his job and treated all his co-workers with respect. He was the to-go guy in case you needed some assistance completing a certain task or if you needed a buddy to go out with for a few drinks. Unfortunately, due to the recent pandemic, the organization Tom was working for had to lay off a majority of their employees including Tom, in order to cut down on their expenses and stay afloat. This event really devastated Tom and he couldn’t quite grasp how he ended up losing the only job he loved and adored.

Day after day as he mindlessly sat in his studio apartment, a thought arose in him that he was a good for nothing fellow and simply a failure. He wondered how he was going to earn a living and also provide for his sick mother who was at the village. Thought after thought flooded his mind and when he couldn’t take it anymore, he thought of a way to escape his ever crippling thoughts, alcohol. A beer every evening eventually turned into two and later proceeded to hard core liquor consumption. Tom was not aiming to be an alcoholic; he just needed something to numb away the pain and alcohol proved to be his only friend at that particular moment. The thought of drinking alcohol seemed harmless initially but it manifested into something vicious where he couldn’t do without it. He became dependent on it up to the point where he collapsed in his apartment due to intoxication. When did a man so full of life, turn into this pathetic, unrecognizable creature?  He thought to himself as the emergency response team wheeled him into an ambulance in order to get him the right medical attention.

Many thoughts arise inside of us and we should be vigilant and extra cautious of the thoughts we choose to follow on a daily basis. Here, we need to practice a simple technique referred to as ‘Deep Thinking’. Deep thinking revolves around three stages:

·         1^st level of thought

·         2^nd level of thought

·         3^rd level of thought

In the first level of thinking, confirm whether that thought is beneficial or damaging. You can also inquire from a trusted ally. In the second level, weigh out the pros and cons of that particular thought. Is it worth establishing it in your heart? How rewarding will it be if you spend your time and energy on it? On the third level, confirm once more and if it’s not worth putting your time and energy on, do away with it. The main problem that is affecting our current generation as of today is the fact that we do not take the time to think and contemplate. We are easily swayed by meaningless thoughts which lead us astray. It is a high time we developed good analytical skills when it comes to the thoughts that arise in our hearts. The secret of living a good life is dependent on the ability to compartmentalize our thoughts and essentially developing a proper heart posture.

 

Elizabeth Njeri