Thought Patterns Exposed

Renewing Your Mind - Part 1

People often come into my office looking for help, and what I've noticed is that they're held back by their own thinking patterns. These patterns start to form right from the beginning, in those first eight years of life when your emotional brain is just getting shaped. It's like everything you experience then leaves a mark, influencing how you see the world.

Now, these early beliefs, whether they're positive or negative, they stick with you. They affect how we process all the information bombarding us every second. There's this part of the brain, the reticular activating system (RAS), that decides what we pay attention to. It's like it filters out everything that doesn't match up with what we already believe or care about.

Let me give you an example - ever notice how after you buy a new car, suddenly you see that same car everywhere? That's your RAS at work; it's focusing on what's now relevant to you. But the downside is, if you've got a belief that you're not good enough or that you're always late, your brain's going to keep showing you evidence of that, trapping you in this negative loop.

I see it all the time. Someone might come in saying, "I stink at tests," and sure enough, they do because their mind is already set to fail. Or they're always late because that's what they think about themselves.

The point I try to make is, not challenging these thought patterns can really keep you stuck. It's crucial to be aware of how we think and to question those thoughts. Maybe then, we can start to see things differently, break the cycle, and move forward.