On Second Thoughts

While having a good discussion with a good friend on yesterday we got into the issue of our propensity for negative self-defeating, horriblizing self-talk. We delved into the topic of the need to move beyond those first negative thoughts to "second thoughts" where we challenge the first thoughts for their validity with an eye to rejecting and reframing them when appropriate to do so.

This we called, "Getting To The Second Thought". Its an excellent mental practice, good for reprogramming those tapes we have inherited through both nature and nurture. These tapes were intended to keep us from "getting too big for our britches" and worked too well. The result being that we too often undervalue our gifts, competence and influence talking ourselves out of much good we might do. We also devalue others and their intentions resulting in lots of lost opportunities for trust, cooperation, understanding and peace.

At the end of this discussion, my friend and I both recommitted to this practice of not stalling out on our first thought but moving on to the "second thought" where we right-size that first thought for benefit of the relationship with ourselves and others. And yes, we encourage you to do the same.

Be well and blessed.

Every Word & Thought Into Captivity (Discipline)

I often think about how as God formed the cosmos by His Words, so we form our "personal" world, and in the case of leaders, the "society" by our words. It is important to note that I am talking about words, whether they be thought, uttered or acted. All three forms of words, create the world. One can even say that the world, as we know it, is in such sad shape as a result of our undisciplined and unskillful thinking, speaking and acting.

One of my favorite scriptures in the Protestant Bible, though not used nearly consistently enough by enough Christians, is 2 Corinthians 10.5 which says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." When applying this scripture to the point of creating a productive and whole life work, and by extension society, through disciplined thinking, speaking and actions, this scripture continually instructs me that whenever I have a thought that is not aligned with the spirit of love, (w)holiness, grace, compassion and other positive values that are consistent with Christ's model and God's knowledge, I am to bring it into captivity. That is, not welcome and accept is as truth, or even tolerate it as benign, but take it into custody and exile it. I am reminded what when I do not do this, my mind, and eventually my speech and actions are then captivated by all sorts of undisciplined and counterproductive themes that result in the creation of a world that neither I, nor my neighbor, wants. A world that we can see all around us everyday.

In my daily observance of myself and those I coach, I see the consequences of our not being mindful of the need to bring every thought into obedience to the Truth, and the painful realities it creates both in our inner and outer worlds. And all because we underestimate the degree to which the thoughts we accept as truth impact the words and actions that create the world we live in. Whatever belief system you are loyal to, I think here we have a universally useful admonition to be disciplined in our thinking, words and actions to assure we are creating the world we intend, versus the one we might unintentionally produce otherwise.