Think About What You Think About
Think about what you think about… Yes, I know that sounds a bit oxy-moronic. I mean, what does “think about what you think about” even mean?! And WHY should you? What difference does it make?
Truth be told, it makes a big difference! It’s all about mindset. There are many sayings out there that speak to this idea. “You get what you think about” and “Where focus goes, energy flows” are just two of the most popular in the mindset realm.
These sayings are usually used when talking about manifestation. But there’s so much more involved. Many people feel that manifesting anything is a bunch of whooey. Something just shy of witchcraft. But manifestation isn’t all about becoming wealthy without effort or gettig a new job or new car without effort, experience, or expense.
So where do we start with this whole convoluted conversation?
Let’s start with manifesting. Manifesting can address things like cars and houses and money. But, more importantly, it can also address things like happiness, love, blessings, and more. In other words, you can manifest your attitude!
And it’s not all woo-woo. Some of it is science.
There is a psychological phenomenon called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, formerly called the frequency illusion. It describes the false impression that something - such as a specific car model, a new concept or word - is occuring more often that it actually is because you begin noticing it more, not because it is happening more. Our brains process selective attention which means that our brains look for what we’re looking for, or what we’re focusing on. Then they process confiirmation bias which means that it is looking for proof that it is right in finding more of what we’re looking for. So your unconscious brain looks for what you’re focusing on and then your conscious brain reinforces that.
For example, if you start thinking you’d like to buy a red Mustang, you suddenly start seeing red Mustangs all over the road! There aren’t really more of them out there, your brain just starts noticing them more because it’s what your subconscious is thinking about and looking for.
We can carry this process over to our attitudes. If you’re expecting and looking for reasons to be unhappy, you’ll find them. We are master manifestors by nature when it comes to things to complain about. But it’s not your fault! That all goes back to genetics. Our brains were designed to look for danger or things going wrong so we could be proactive and stay safe. We don’t need to worry about finding shelter or fighting off wild animals anymore but, in general, that genetic safety feature in our brains hasn’t caught up with our life reality yet.
On the other hand, sometimes it takes a little more effort to find things to be happy about when life happens. But if you’re looking for a silver lining, odds are much better that you’ll find one. And significantly higher than if you’re just looking for the “bad” in a situation.
So whether you’re looking for silver linings or manifesting happiness, focusing on the good in any situation is the important thing. You’ll get more (or see more) of what you’re thinking about, focusing on, and looking for in pretty much every situation. Unfortunately, quite often people don’t even pay attention to what they are focusing on.
So start paying attention to what thoughts are popping up in your head. Think about what you’re thinking about. And dismiss the negative thoughts and focus on the good ones. It can make all the difference in what you see and how you feel.
