The Deadly Ego, Thinking You Understand When You Do Not.

There is a great danger in the whole idea that thoughts are things and we create what we think. This danger is to people who do not fully understand what that principle means, how it works, and how it can be confused with guidance and intuition. That danger lies in the ego which thinks it knows something it does not.

I have noticed far too many instances in my life, and in other people’s lives, were guidance has come to mind and has been rejected as negative thoughts.

These thoughts turned out to be very important guidance to prevent damage, either physical, material, or financial, as well as being hints to a direction to take for success and benefit. Simply put, warnings ignored and opportunities missed.

Many times we ignore the signs by discounting their value or thinking we know better. Other times, and this is the danger I am speaking about today, is when a thought comes to mind and we push it out of our mind with the reason that negative thoughts are bad and if I think about it, I will make it happen.

That is the double edge sword of life and death, thoughts create their reality and what you think is what you will create. The problem arises when the thoughts are not creating an event, but rather the messenger speaking of what will happen.

Sometimes thoughts come to your mind out of the blue, and other times, it is an event or person, perhaps a friend or stranger who says something which triggers a thought or relates to a condition in your life.

The skill is to think without thinking, or as Kipling put it, “If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim.” This is the skill I would like to discuss now.

There is a difference between thinking and dwelling on a thought. Dwelling is what builds a magnetic centre for that thought and thus will attract that which you think about by keeping this thought incessantly rolling around in your mind. Thinking is impossible to avoid, it is being conscious and aware of the thoughts in your mind, which as you know, you always have some thought you are thinking about. Much of the time you are not aware of your thoughts, lost in a conscious sleep, but sleep is not the concern of this article.

‘Dwelling’ and ‘Thinking’ are the subjects we must define and clearly understand the difference between. First we will look deeper at dwelling. This can be positive or negative depending on your level of conscious awareness while you dwell on a particular subject or thought. If you are conscious and dwelling, or mulling over a particular thought, looking for a solution to a problem or some guidance to move forward, and you are doing this with deliberate intention to think about it, then it is positive and answers may come.

If you dwell on something like a daydream, it is just in the background of your mind, it is more of something you are validly or invalidly worried about, that is negative. This will make the problem worse.

Thinking on the other hand is being aware of the thoughts in your mind. Everything you encounter will trigger your mind to think, you have no choice. You cannot function in any way or interact or communicate without the subject being in your thoughts. The question is what do you do with that thought.

A personal example is when I met a fellow while out for a walk who I had not seen in some years. We spoke for a few minutes and he brought up the subject of the financial crisis with Greece potentially going bankrupt. I did not give much regard to his comment, in fact thinking it odd that he mentioned it since he is not at all one who is involved in financial affairs of the world.

However I did have some stock investments which were at a profit that day, and I could have sold, but instead decided that there was no reason to sell and I would hang on with positive thoughts for a larger profit. The next day the stock values tumbled.

This is a clear example of guidance coming from a source which I considered lacking in validity and frankly bizarre for the person, but it still triggered thoughts of concern and worthy of consideration, which I disregarded due to the source, and then had a negative financial impact due to my ignoring the guidance.

How many times have you been faced with a warning of sorts and then determined that you should not have negative thoughts, put that out of your mind, and then the warned event came to pass, causing you a problem that could have been avoided.

Be aware that you do not know as much about your mind and thoughts as you may think you do. Following half taught or learnt lessons about the power of the mind and importance of thoughts can lead you down an even more difficult route, as well as possibly be to blame for any lack of success.

Negative thoughts are not all negative. They could be thoughts about a negative event and thus turn out to be positive if given enough consideration and attention. What gives a thought a negative or positive power is fear or objectivity respectively.

If you have a thought and deem it to be something to fear, negative or harmful, then it shall become that way, in fact ignoring a warning thought because you think it is a negative thought and should be expelled from your mind does result in a negative event. Your self-defeating belief proves your fear correct and you further decrease your ability to receive guidance and intuition.

However, taking all thoughts that enter your mind, as opposed to deliberate intentional thoughts, objectively as neither good nor bad, but simply as information to be considered and investigated or as something to keep an extra watch out for, will make that thought either a prevention of trouble or a lead to success.

Your subjective emotions are what turns thoughts into powerful creators of reality, both for your success or disasters. Emotion is the catalyst, but it can be positive or negative. Objective regard for thoughts turns them into detached advisors, offering advice without concern if you take it or not.

Thoughts are definitely things, what things they bring is your choice.

A man was walking on the beach when an officer from the Coast Guard drove up in a Jeep and said, “Get in. A flash flood is coming.”
The man replied, “I am a very spiritual man and have faith in God to save and protect me. Go rescue some unbeliever—I’ll be fine.”
The floodwaters came in. When they were up to the man’s waist, Coast Guard arrived in a raft to save him, but he sent them away with the same reply. The water rose to his neck, whereupon men in a boat came to save him. He sent them away as well, professing his belief in God’s protection of the faithful. Finally, the water rose so high that the man drowned.
When he met God, the dead man was confused and angry. “All my life I was a good man and believed in you and your teachings. I had faith that those who believed in you would be protected. Why did you not save me?”
God replied, “My son, I sent men in a Jeep, a raft, and finally a boat. What more did you want?”

Everyone wants to have God speak to them and give guidance, but we disregard the ventriloquist’s puppet seeing the master’s mouth closed thinking He has nothing to say.