It is said that on average people have 48 thoughts per minute and 80% of them are negative. Is it any wonder, then, that we seek happiness everywhere but in ourselves? Eckhart Tolle says, “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but your thoughts about it.”
Our thoughts can cause us trouble. If we ruminate too much about the past unpleasant events, we can become depressed. If we worry too much about future events, we can become anxious.
So, what’s a person to do to find peace and happiness?
I think the first step is to become aware of what’s going on in your mind. Our thoughts take on a life of their own, if we don’t pay attention.
So, how do we become aware of what’s going on in our mind?
Here’s a quick and (dare I say) fun way to do just that!
- Set a timer for one (1) minute
- Close your eyes
- Pretend your thoughts are trains and you are the train station
- Count how many trains came by the station
If you’d like to take this silly little exercise a bit further, pay attention to how many of those trains you followed and where you ended up.
