The mind is designed to take care of us. It collects data and then reminds us of this data through random, rapid thoughts and mental images. This ability is such a miraculous gift, and it allows us to operate intelligently and successfully in our lives.
However, please keep in mind that our brain is a 3-pound lump of cells. It easily mis-perceives and misinterprets data. When this happens, especially when it perceives life from a lens of insecure beliefs, then we can be tormented and we can suffer the effects of what many spiritual practitioners call the "monkey mind." Every being in existence experiences this most of their lives. We tend to trust and believe our thoughts blindly, and as a result we react to them all the time.
Meditation and taking silent, peaceful times each day are invaluable tools because they bring us enhanced space with which to observe our thoughts. One additional tool that we can practice is a variation of meditation. This practice is simple: Observe how our thoughts make us feel.
If a thought makes you suffer - if it gives you negative emotions such as doubt, anger, sadness, jealousy, and so on - then the thought is one that is based upon limited perceptions and often false beliefs that we have accepted as true. Bryon Katie once brilliantly said, "When a thought hurts, that's the signal that it isn't true."
To read the full article: http://www.examiner.com/x-18399-Honolulu-Health-and-Happiness-Examiner~y2009m8d15-Become-Happier-By-Choosing-your-Thoughts-Consciously
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