Do You Control Your Thoughts, or Do Your Thoughts Control You?

I have been studying quantum physics, metaphysics and spirituality in depth for about five years now and have listened to countless audiobooks and read dozens of books. Since the beginning of my journey, I have watched my life go from miserable and meaningless to completely blessed. I'm by no means fully enlightened. I struggle with these principals every day of my life, but I am closer to enlightenment today than I was yesterday.

So, let's start with the basics. The Law of Attraction; You become what you think about all day long. That's right--when your mother told you that life is what you make of it, she had no idea how right she really was. Quantum Physics has now come to the conclusion that we literally create our reality in our own mind right down to everything we think that we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel. This begins at a quantum, subatomic level. Everything in this entire universe is made up of the same thing. That thing is basically concentrated thought flickering in and out of existence (we'll talk more about that later). Most people live their lives feeling that they are the victim of their circumstances. You are only a victim of your perception and your own mind and your mind is not you. The true essence of who you are is that silent observer that hears your thoughts; your spirit. This part of you is not measurable by any instrument and no one has ever seen it. It's boundless, just like the source that created it. You are as infinite as the universe itself and at the smallest subatomic level, we are all one-- we are the universe (we'll talk more about that later, too).

The problem then, is that most of us are a slave to our own thoughts. We let our thoughts control us instead of using our thoughts constructively. We say things like, "It just popped into my head" and "I can't help it, that's just the way I am" and "I always have these depressing thoughts." My question then is this, if you are not the one controlling your thoughts, who is? Is it the media, you family, your friends, your past? The answer is probably a little bit of all of the above. Our thoughts race through our heads, one after another so fast that we seldom try to tame them. This is why most of us fail to deliberately create our lives the way we want. If we get what we think about, then we'd better be careful what we think about. This can be extremely challenging when we fail to control our thoughts and emotions and instead, let them control us.

I feel that meditation is one of the best ways to regain control of your own thoughts, and finally put that cynical, sarcastic, constantly judging voice to sleep once and for all. Here is a technique that I like to use. Get yourself into a comfortable position. Whatever position is the most comfortable for you is the best position to meditate from. You'll need about 15 minutes in a place that you will not be interrupted. Close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing. Try to keep your concentration on your breath. When your mind wonders, just bring it back to your breath. This will take some practice. Visualize a small light in the distance. Focus on your breath and the light. Let your thoughts pass by and just keep bringing your focus back to your breath. Do this for about fifteen to twenty minutes everyday. You will find that one session is equivalent to about four hours of sleep. You will also notice an overall sense of calmness and well being about you as well as better mental focus and control over your thoughts.