Our thoughts are a precious treasure. Like money, they are a valuable asset that can give us happiness or sorrow, depending on how we think.
There are people who have everything they need, but they are unhappy because of their negative thinking. Similarly, some people face a small problem but overthink it and sink into depression. Then there are others who have had a tragic experience, but they took it on the chin and are living a happy life. What sets apart these three kinds of people is their way of thinking.
Our mind is a powerful tool and it is the state of the mind that makes a person strong or weak. Success and failure are a part of life and we experience both, but being successful does not mean succeeding all the time – it means remaining upbeat despite failure.
We create between 40,000 and 60,000 thoughts in a day. These thoughts expend the energy of the mind – the more we think, the weaker the mind becomes. It is like using a mobile phone: the more you use it, the faster its battery is drained. Today, a large number of people across the world are suffering from depression because of overthinking.
The only way to protect ourselves from mental stress and depression is to strengthen the mind. How can we know whether our mind is strong or weak? If we think too much, lose our happiness because of overthinking, or think in a negative way, we have a weak mind.
Our thoughts generate energy – positive thinking creates positive energy and negative thinking creates negative energy. This energy radiates into the atmosphere in the form of vibrations. A weak mind attracts bad vibrations in the atmosphere created by the negative thinking of other people, and this harms the mind further. In the long run, this can lead to psychosomatic ailments.
Our vibrations also influence the elements of nature, setting in motion the subtle process of turning our thoughts into reality. This is how our thoughts shape our future. If we repeatedly worry about something untoward happening, we are, in fact, creating that reality.
To change our life, we need to change our way of thinking. To harness the energy of the mind, we should take care to create positive thoughts, particularly in the first ten minutes after we wake up in the morning. That is the time when our subconscious mind is active. The subconscious mind has a big impact on our way of thinking and, thereby, our life. Feeding the subconscious mind positive thoughts at the start of the day has a positive impact on our entire day.
For keeping ourselves positive and our life happy, we also need to pay attention to our attitude and behaviour. Humility, gratitude and appreciation save us from a lot of negative thinking, improve our relationships, and make life peaceful and enjoyable.
B.K. Surya is a senior Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.