Where thoughts come from
Where do thoughts come from?
You know, those ideas or opinions that occur suddenly in your mind? Like these examples of automatic thoughts:
Today is going to be terrible.
No one is interested in what I’m saying.
I only have bad dates.
It’s all my fault.
She is a bad person.
I’ll never find a good job.
I didn’t deserve the promotion.
I should be more motivated.
These thoughts don’t come out of thin air… although it might seem that way. I often say to myself, where did that come from?
I have been learning a lot about my thoughts and have discovered there are some key factors which affect my thoughts.
I have thoughts about my previous experiences.
I have core beliefs which directly influence my thoughts.
What I am focusing on directly influences my thoughts.
I can even have thoughts about my thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
That’s a lot of thoughts.
And where do my thoughts go next?
My thoughts directly influence my feelings, which then influence my behavior.
In simple terms, I created this equation while reading Raymond Prior in Golf Beneath the Surface to help show the direction:
Previous experiences + core beliefs + what I focus on => thoughts => feelings => behavior
That means my thoughts are pretty powerful in not just the depths from which they come but the force with which they impact.
I want to learn how I can channel that power. Because the last thing I need is to let my thoughts run wild in toxic rumination. I’ve let that happen before, and I vowed to never to do that again – at least, not for very long (because it is bound to happen every once in a while).
I can channel that power by applying some of that good old personal agency I found on this equation. I can change everything in that equation except for one thing: I can’t change my previous experiences. That ship has sailed! I can only change how I think about my previous experiences. Zander and Zander in The Art of Possibility were pivotal in my understanding of how I can do just that.
I need to change how I perceive my previous experiences which will then influence my thoughts.
But first, I need to be clear on what it means to perceive. Oxford Dictionary defines perceive in the following ways: “become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand; or interpret or look on (someone or something) in a particular way; regard as.”
The key focus for me is on interpreting something in a particular way. According to Zander and Zander, I can use the power of invention to interpret something like a past experience in a particular way to my advantage as well as the advantage of the people surrounding me:
“It’s all invented anyway, so we might as well invent a story or a framework of meaning that enhances our quality of life and the life of those around us.”
Even Marcus Aurelius knew the importance of invention and changing our perceptions 2000 years ago:
“...things have no hold on the soul. They stand there unmoving, outside it. Disturbance comes only from within – from our own perceptions.”
And Ellen Langer’s The Mindful Body provides evidence to support perception as the key for ensuring our health.
Perceptions, which some believe to be influenced by my core beliefs, seem to be closely linked to what I focus on, which then influences my thoughts.
As I work through this, perhaps perceptions are the lens through which I focus on what is important to me:
Previous experiences + core beliefs - perceptions - what I focus on => thoughts => feelings => behavior
I know there is a lot more to consider – like understanding how I can actually use invention to change how I think about my previous experiences, understanding more about my core beliefs, and the importance of mindfulness and what I focus on.
I hope you now have a better understanding of where your thoughts come from, how they can be influenced, and where they take you.
Resources
Aurelius, Marcus. 2002. Meditations. New York: Random House.
Langer, Ellen. 2024. The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health. New York: Ballantine Group.
Prior, Raymond. 2023. Golf Beneath the Surface. Dallas, Texas: BenBella Books, Inc.
Zander, Rosamund. S., and Benjamin Zander. 2000. The Art of Possibility. Boston: Harvard Business School.
Image by Tammy Brimner
