Our mind is nothing but a flow of thoughts. When we say we need to manage our mind, in essence, we need to manage our thoughts. We have often heard and read that we are our thoughts. But have we ever reflected as to where our thoughts come from? We would understand ourselves better if we better understood what triggers the thoughts in our mind.

Our thoughts have their origin in three things; natural tendencies we are born with, past memories and external influences.

At birth what differentiates children is their appearance, which is clearly visible. What is unseen is the bundle of tendencies each one has, unique from another. This is why two siblings, nurtured in the same environment can be very different from one another. These latent tendencies start triggering off thoughts when the environment is conducive. Knowing this helps nurture and grow our positive tendencies and safeguard ourselves when the negative seeds in our mind seek an opportunity to sprout.

The second source of our thoughts is our memories. Our mind often goes back to what has happened in the past, and once a memory is triggered, before we realise it, a chain of thoughts of past events has taken over our mind space. Memories can help us when we visit them to gain learnings and insights but can be a dangerous place to stay in if we are revisiting the anger, regret, and guilt of the past.

The third source is what we observe and acquire from others. Even though something may not come naturally to us, we may start developing a thought process around what we see others doing. External influences can be powerful in shaping us and opening up our mind to areas and ways of thinking so far unknown to us, but can be dangerous if we start trying to live someone else’s life, going against our natural being, just because we believe they are happier than us.

A thought is a guest wanting to stay in our mind. If we allow every guest in, our life will go through the swings of ups and downs keeping us away from the constant peace and happiness we live for. We need to use our awareness of being constantly alert and vigilant in deciding which one we will entertain and spend time with. But we can only do that effectively if we know where they are coming from.

(Picture-Ski slopes of Whistler, British Columbia)