A bumper sticker: “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.”
This made me think about the psychological thing we all do called projecting. There are two ways that I project:
1. I assume that I know the thoughts or intentions of another person. This often gets me into trouble because I react to what I think the other person is thinking instead of what they are actually thinking. Now, instead, I try to live in a state of not knowing. In fact, I choose to assume the best intentions in another person and respond to that. Or I wait until the person reveals their thoughts and intentions and then I can choose my response to that.
2. I think I know outcomes. This is classic. The truth is, we don’t know what is coming in the next moment, let alone in the distant future. So often when circumstances seem dire, the outcome is far better than the expected. The problem with this type of projecting is that we may experience fear needlessly.
I realize that I cannot control the thoughts that come into my head, but I can decide which ones to entertain.