Thinking Week 1

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

— Marcus Aurelius

Focusing an entire month on thinking may seem at first glance like a stretch but if we think about it, thinking preoccupies so much of our day. According to the research of Dr. Fred Luskin of Stanford University, a human being has approximately 60,000 thoughts per day—and 90% of these are repetitive, 80% are negative. I chose the quote this week to kick off thinking month, because Marcus Aurelius recognized that people back in 170 AD were also suffering from negative thinking. His suggestions to begin the day with thinking positively, being grateful to be alive, to pay attention to your breath, to view thinking as a gift and to enjoy life seem very simple.  Yet in reality so many people are  suffering from repetitive, negative thoughts, and are a prisoner in their own head. 

When we are present in the moment, it is difficult to be caught in repetitive thinking. This is because we are experiencing what is happening right now, instead of being “lost in thought”.  First, we must notice how thoughts are controlling us. That’s the assignment for this week. Pay attention on purpose to your thinking. Be the watcher of your thoughts. Not changing anything but observing as if it were someone else’s thoughts. It will be eye-opening! An additional exercise would be to write down every negative thought, keeping a tally. Reread Marcus's quote,  

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. " Marcus Aurelius

Remember we can change the way we think.