Life is like a car

Free wheeling

Mindful thinking is like driving a car.

Would you drive a car without holding the steering wheel, using the mirrors, indicators etc?

Would you just sit in a car, allowing to roll down the hill, whatever speed it goes, wherever the wheels turn, not even looking where it’s going?

Then why would you allow yourself to be overly impulsive, knee jerk responding to situations that unfold around you?

Would you slam the breaks on if you were headed for a crash?

Then why do you let your emotions run almost completely unchecked, on autopilot?

Mindful thinking

Mindful thinking is all about being in control, making conscious decisions about how we react to things, how we process information coming in, stopping negative emotional responses – be it internal or external.

Mindful thinking adds a layer of conscious analysis above your emotional autopilot – like a couple of seasoned pilots, ready to override the jumbo jet computer.

It takes practice and a high level of introspective – but the returns are huge.

Start from the back

Start by retrospectively looking at all emotional responses and dig deep trying to understand the underlying cause of the upset and distress or excitement and joy. At first it will be hard and many times you won’t have a clue. Always ask “why” again to each internal answer. Most likely the root cause is several layers deep.

After a while, answers will start coming quicker and at some point you will catch them as emotions start to unfold – giving you time to consciously and mindfully let them run the course or stop them before you do something rash.

It’s a slow process and requires constant focus to have the train of thought that will trigger the post mortem of your emotional reaction – sometimes hours later.

With practice the whole thing becomes automatic and you will feel a new person entirely – on control, never losing your cool, happier, nicer to be with.