{"id":229,"date":"2014-01-14T01:00:50","date_gmt":"2014-01-14T01:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/?p=229"},"modified":"2014-01-14T01:03:19","modified_gmt":"2014-01-14T01:03:19","slug":"a-thought-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/2014\/01\/a-thought-experiment.html","title":{"rendered":"A Thought Experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jodi<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I wonder if we could try an experiment together.<\/strong> Right here, right now. It will just take a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s each take out a piece of paper and spend 1-2 minutes writing down all of our most common thoughts.<\/strong> Those that are deeply grooved into our subconscious mind. Those that are said either aloud or in our heads so often that we have learned to accept them as fact.\u00a0Those that are positive. Those that are negative.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not censor ourselves.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not judge ourselves.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s simply write as quickly as we can all of our most common thoughts.<\/p>\n

So please pause reading this for a couple of minutes, take out your piece of paper and pen and begin to write.<\/strong> (You can also start a new document on the computer or do this on your phone.)<\/p>\n

And when you\u2019re finished, please come back here and continue reading.<\/p>\n

Okay, do you have your thoughts written down?<\/p>\n

Now, I would love for you to read through your list.<\/strong> Take each thought into your heart and allow yourself to sit with it and feel it in your body.<\/p>\n

Go through your list and circle the thoughts (positive or negative) that have the most \u201ccharge\u201d attached to them.<\/strong> What I mean by this, is to find the thoughts that stand out on the page for you \u2013 the thoughts that call to you in a deeper way than the others.<\/p>\n

These are your predominant thoughts. These are the thoughts that are controlling your life \u2013 that are determining the outcome of your life. These are the thoughts that have become beliefs \u2013 the thoughts that have become habitual (perhaps without you even realizing it).<\/p>\n

And now ask yourself this:<\/p>\n

Are these the thoughts that you would like to have constantly repeated throughout your day, week, month, year, life? Do they make you happy? Do they make you feel empowered?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If so, that\u2019s wonderful!<\/p>\n

I would guess that some of your thoughts fit into this positive category and some of them don\u2019t. If that\u2019s the case, please take a moment to affirm that you would like to give more energy to these types of thoughts moving forward and less energy to negative thoughts moving forward.<\/p>\n

I believe that the thoughts we attach to become our reality.<\/strong> We all have so many thoughts that pop into our minds throughout the day. Random thoughts. Silly thoughts. Happy thoughts. Sad thoughts. Angry thoughts. Negative thoughts. Grateful thoughts. Positive thoughts. All sorts of thoughts.<\/p>\n

This is normal.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t believe that we should try to not have negative thoughts.<\/strong> I\u2019ve found that what we resist definitely persists, and so if you tell yourself that you aren\u2019t going to have these sorts of thoughts, that\u2019s all you\u2019ll end up thinking. It\u2019s just the way we\u2019re wired.<\/p>\n

So instead, I allow whatever thoughts that want to pop up happen. And I then choose which thoughts I\u2019m going to attach to \u2013 give energy to.<\/p>\n

I would love for you to go back to your list now and circle all of those thoughts that are positive, grateful, happy, and uplifting.<\/p>\n

And make a conscious pact with yourself moving forward that you are going to re-train your brain to attach to and habituate these types of thoughts from now on.<\/p>\n

If you didn\u2019t have any positive thoughts on your list, that\u2019s okay, too. This is a great chance for you to let your brain know what you would rather spend your time thinking about. And now you can spend a few minutes writing down any thoughts that would make you happy to think about \u2013 to create into a habit.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, when you catch yourself thinking one of these charged negative thoughts, you can immediately shift into a thought that brings you happiness.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, if one of my habitual negative thoughts is that I\u2019m really exhausted, I can immediately shift this into thinking about how I love drinking green smoothies because I always feel energized afterward.<\/p>\n

I hope this exercise is heart-opening for you, and I hope it helps you see how truly empowered you are \u2013 how much control you really do have over your life.<\/p>\n

This shifting does take practice, but it\u2019s completely worth it. And it\u2019s completely possible. For all of us.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hugs,<\/p>\n

Jodi<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"about
\n<\/a>Jodi Chapman is a bestselling author, an award-winning blogger, and a soulful community builder.\u00a0She lives her life with love and faith in the driver\u2019s seat, and she hopes to leave a trail of inspiration wherever she goes. She believes that we each have the ability to hear our soul\u2019s whisper and create our best lives. She would love to connect with you!<\/p>\n

Website<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Angel Fund<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Free Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I wonder if we could try an experiment together. Right here, right now. It will just take a couple of minutes. Let\u2019s each take out a piece of paper and spend 1-2 minutes writing down all of our most common thoughts. Those that are deeply grooved into our subconscious mind. Those that are said…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":559,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,3,29,52],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-heart-of-the-soul","tag-jodi-chapman","tag-positive","tag-thoughts"],"yoast_head":"\nA Thought Experiment - Heart of the Soul<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Thought Experiment - Heart of the Soul\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  I wonder if we could try an experiment together. Right here, right now. It will just take a couple of minutes. 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They share their lives with three wonderful cats: Biddle, Buncom, and Elsie. She would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter! And you can also join her Soul Speak community: www.jodichapman.com. 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