Over the past 1 1/2 years and especially during the last 6 to 8 months I have experienced not only what power our thoughts have but also how fast and reflexively they can influence our feelings and emotions. Nothing may have happened but a simple thought can change the mood instantly.

At the beginning of an emotion and a feeling stands a thought. It may appear the other way around but only because they happen reflexively and we only consciously think after we feel that emotion. From there we start thinking consciously what to make of the situation which triggered the emotion. We dig into our memories from similar situations perhaps act the same way and the experience we make now is stored again in our belief system. A circle that has its own dynamic if we are not aware that actually, we are the thinker. Of course, there are many possibilities with which our automated thought system changes our moods. I want to mention two main reasons regarding the future how we influence ourselves positively or negatively:

The anticipation of what may be and the fear of what could be.

Both can destroy the other one. (It is again the love and fear game. Both cannot exist at the same time since they are two ends of the same energy.) The interesting part is that the positive influence comes from something which we already included in our plans but the negative influence originates from something which is not even existing yet. It is this “what if” thought. For example, we are looking forward to a vacation we are excited about but what if, I get sick? What if my kids get sick? What if, something happens at home, while I am not here? What if the plane crashes? What if, I miss the plane? What if, what if, what if,… And the whole anticipation transforms into fear.

Of course, this is a rather harmless example but I think you know where I want to go with it. When we think of the future we often tend to use our imagination to scare ourselves instead of encouraging us. Why? Only because the future is uncertain? Have we experienced that what we don’t know is harmful, deadly, destroying? Maybe we have? But for sure, we also experienced that things turned out totally positive too. For some reasons, we rather stick with bad expectations. I know several people who say: “I rather expect the worst because then I can only be positively surprised.” This may work at times. But only to a certain degree. The problem is that when we expect the worst we can barely experience the best. Because we only look out for the worst.

I think the fear of the future has to do with our clear awareness that what comes from this world is only borrowed. The future is unknown. And yes, we may lose something we have today but we will definitely also win something we don’t have yet. Lives will end and others will begin. We can’t impossibly know what the future brings or takes. But it holds more options for us than we can imagine unless we are open for the good things to come. Open your arms, smile, and trust. If you can imagine bad things, so can you imagine good things. The more you are expecting good things to happen, the better and brighter your future may be. Life will not always be roses and we have to walk through our dark valleys but it will also not always be dark and cold either. Life is a circle of beginnings and endings. Every ending is a new beginning. When we only look at the ending, we may not see the new beginning. But when seeing the chance in the beginning we may deal better with endings. Nothing is ever lost or happened in vain. Because it stays within us throughout our journey.

Nothing is for certain, neither the plans we make nor what could be, neither the desired nor the undesired. It is not only my life that happens here but I am connected with all lives which affect my life too. I can’t impossibly be in control. This can throw me into desperation, anxiety, and more negative expectations or it encourages and excites me because I understand that all things are possible. And it can teach me to treasure the moment with all it has for me. However, at the beginning of it all stands a single thought. If I change it, the whole construct of thoughts changes and opens up ways I had never considered as an option. 

Credits: howtobehappy.guru|http://www.picturequotes.com|quotefancy.com|www.quotationof.com|upjourney.com

In Love and Light