You Are Not Your Thoughts

I shared this on my Facebook page today, but wanted to share it here too.

The realization that “I think my thoughts, but am not my thoughts” has been a big part of my journey, something I picked up from the work of my friend Dr. Nicole LePera …

"I'm a bad person."

"I mess everything up."

"I can't do anything right."

"My podcast is terrible."

"No one will like my art."

"I'm not a good writer."

"My dreams have always been too far-fetched."

"I'm not as good as _____."

... I've thought all of these things over the years and for the longest time I assumed they were a reflection of me and my voice - “I am these things, these things are true about me.”

Nowadays, though, I'm realizing that this is the voice of my conditioned self - the part of me that has been through a variety of things over the last 42 years, has heard a variety of opinions about me, has made a lot of assumptions of how other people think of me, etc, etc, etc and has (therefore) been conditioned to think in certain ways.

As real as it feels, though, this is not my true voice - this is not the voice of my true self.

The conditioned voice screams these sorts of things while my true voice whispers that ...

I am good.

I make mistakes, but don't mess everything up.

I am gifted.

I am creative.

I am able.

I am kind.

I am loving.

etc.

Phew.

The reality is that all of us function on autopilot everyday (* in fact, did you know that modern science says that most of us are truly aware only 5% of the day and [therefore] on autopilot for 95% of the day!), assuming we are every thought that crosses our mind …

“I’m so dumb.”

“Why do I always mess everything up.”

“I’ll never be out of this job.”

“I’ll never have enough.”

“I can’t trust anyone.”

… And so the goal is to become aware, to awaken, to remember moment by moment that we are not our thoughts, to tell the conditioned self to quiet down, to remind that self of what is true, to tune into the quiet whisper inside, and to live from and respond to that (true) voice.

May we remember today - although we are the thinker of our thoughts, we aren’t not our thoughts.

Much love,

Glenn || SUPPORT THE SHOW

PS - here’s my latest piece of art, a commissioned piece for a friend who is a big fan of “Angry Birds”. Got an idea for a canvas painting? Email me and lets make it happen!