What 17 Years Researching Ancient Wisdom Taught Me About Negative Thinking
These insights helped me through tough times.
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When it comes to negative thinking, it can feel as if we're trapped fighting ourselves. I first felt attracted to ancient culture as a child.
Later, I found myself embarking on a journey that lasted a lifetime.
It took me around the globe, eventually landing full circle back into the wilderness.
Survival tests you to the limit. Out here, your negative thoughts get magnified because there isn't a constant stream of distractions to pull you away from how you might feel.
It can be particularly soul-crushing when something you rely on to live falls apart in your hands. These insights are part of a bigger picture I help my clients see.
Never blame yourself for the negativity that flows through your mind. We all have the capacity to imagine anything. Positive or negative. Relax, and let go. It's not just you.
Blame adds pressure, and that pressure creates a spiral downward, even if you're attempting to force your mind to change.
A human mind has infinite potential to distort or beautify anything. Sometimes, that can happen spontaneously or by surprise. It's not a measure of your character nor a reason not to love yourself.
The more your focus drifts into you as broken or lacking something others have, like a positive mind, the more you will feel that pain. Everyone feels all the cornucopia of mental phenomena—it is not just you.
Just because you feel or think never means you have to act or not act. Detach yourself from the outcome, pause your thoughts, and look for the solutions present in the problem.
It's easy to get fixated on the future, though, in reality, the future is a projection. It never turns out that way, is momentary, and fades fast. The present moment is all we have; remaining open to it makes actionable solutions obvious.
When it comes to difficult decisions, the pivotal point is choosing the greatest good moment to moment. Just because someone else may have made a different choice doesn't mean you are limited.
Life is a game of choice. The more we do what deep down we know isn't a positive choice, that decision has a compounding effect. Luckily, the same applies when biting the bullet and choosing what we sense is right.
Sometimes, stepping into your potential looks like pausing your thoughts. Other times, it can be telling a truth that is hard to say or even taking time to do nothing. Measure success by momentum, not material gain. Without rest, continual momentum is impossible.
The best path forward isn't something someone else can tell you how to do. It comes from within yourself. Real teachers show you doorways—it's up to you to open and walk into the life you've always dreamt of living.
Let truth and the will for inherent human kindness guide you. Sometimes, it may not feel comfortable, but it doesn't mean acting weak or not standing up for yourself.
Humanity, integrity, and innocence exist, even in the bleakest of situations, and it starts with you. Moment to moment, choose life.
Thanks for reading. Listen to my podcast to hear how I use these insights in survival situations.