How to respond to the pull of negative thoughts

By Chris Trout | May 20, 2010

A client recently posted this quote from Gratefulness.org. While I love it, I immediately thought about what a double-edge sword it represents. On the one hand, it is certainly true. I notice this especially when I have strung together many days of aligned thinking. I see the manifestations and think, "I did that! That is a reflection of my thoughts just a few days ago." Then I think about the times when I get "stuck" in my old negative narrative. Those days are always followed by days where no one calls, no coincidences happen and no new ideas flow. It is true. The more I understand the power of my thoughts, the less I want to spend any time in negative ones.

In fact, I want to avoid them like the plague! And there, my friend, is the rub. If I try to fight against the negative thoughts, I just get more of them. Why? Because in my fighting against them, I am focusing on them. And where you focus, grows.

The second rub? If I am hyper-aware of the negative consequences of negative thoughts, it is easy to become fearful or worried about my negative thoughts - which focuses my attention on them, thus creating more of the same.  Jeez! I'm exhausted already!

So what to do? We must be gentle and compassionate with ourselves about negative thoughts. They are a natural part of our journey, a consequence of living in a world of diversity and contrast.  We get aligned and feeling light and joyful, then BAM, some life experience - a call from a family member, a tragic event, even a news report - and BAM, I'm out of alignment and lost in negative interpretations. So, I work myself back into alignment and while I'm there I think about money (or, more accurately, the lack of it) and BAM, that thought pulls me out.  This is the nature of this journey. This is life.

So our job becomes one of gently shifting our thoughts to the new story. Not fight against the old, not wrestle those negative thoughts to the ground; just gently shift my thoughts to the new. We do this persistently, but not with the tension of "determination." We keep this intention, but without the insistence of making it a goal.

The primary flow of energy in the world is a flow of well being. All we need do is persistently and gently shift our thoughts to the new story, allowing ourselves to move into this downstream flow of abundance and love and appreciation.  Like a loving mother who gently moves her baby away from the electrical socket - over and over and over again - we gently re-direct our thoughts. No blame. No judgment. No harshness. We simply know it is the most natural thing in the world, and soon the new story will be more interesting and more rewarding than the old. See? Over here, over here, over here.

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