Have you ever thought about something and then, boom, it happened? Maybe you reached a goal, started a new relationship, or stumbled upon an exciting opportunity. Or maybe you are here because you heard that you can create your reality by focusing on your thoughts.
We’re told that when we stop thinking about something, like a relationship, it will simply just happen. But that’s not the case. What likely happened is that you were thinking about something, reduced the pressure for it to happen, which lead you to act in confident ways knowing it will happen, and then you reached your desired results.
So while it might seem like it’s just luck, what you think actually has a big impact on what happens your life. When you understand how thoughts become things, you can use this to your advantage.
Let’s break it down.
How thoughts become things
Understanding how thoughts turn into real-life can be tricky due to sensationalized and complicated information. Some people make it sound like magic or some secret skill you need to have (and only they can teach you) but in reality, it’s pretty simple, and all you need to learn is a basic chain of events.
Your thoughts are at the beginning of a chain of events. They are your reaction to things in your environment and they influence how you perceive and interpret the world around you.
Thoughts trigger emotions. If you perceive kindness, you feel happy; if you perceive meanness, you likely feel annoyed or mad. If you think you are in danger you will feel nervous, if you think you are in for an exciting time, you will feel excited!
Your emotions influence your reactions. If you’re happy, you’ll likely respond pleasantly; if you’re annoyed, you might respond aggressively. If you feel you are in danger you will likely get defensives, if you think you are being treated kindly, you will likely respond with kindness.
Your responses shape your outcomes. If you’re pleasant, you’ll likely receive pleasant results; if you’re aggressive, you might face aggression in return.
At a holistic level, your life is made up of the results of these chain reactions that begin with your thoughts.
Thoughts becoming things
Here’s an easy example:
Say, you want to reach a goal, but you keep thinking you’ll never make it which leads to feelings of hopelessness. ->
Feeling hopeless leads to inaction. You don’t try to reach your goal because you think there is no chance of accomplishing it. ->
You don’t put in the effort, you won’t reach your goal and you get stuck.
On the flip side, if you think you can reach your goal, you’ll feel excited or at least hopeful and put in the effort to get better results. While positive thinking doesn’t guarantee success, it does make it more likely.
Here’s a more in-depth example:
Imagine you wake up late. Instead of feeling defeated, you think, “I really needed that sleep. Even though I woke up late, I can still get a lot done!” You feel excited and hopeful for a productive day. Before you know it, you’re smashing through your to-do list and feeling like the queen/king of productivity.
Now imagine waking up late and thinking, “ugh, I messed up the day.” Even though you still have time to be productive, you believe you can’t do it. So, you end up binge-watching TV, feeling guilty about wasting time, and maybe even grabbing a drink. The next day, the cycle repeats.
Your life is shaped by what you think
You might wonder how you previously thought something into existence without even realizing it. Chances are you thought something, believed it, felt good about it, and then got inspired to take action, which led to your results.
We call this “flow” – when things seem to effortlessly fall into place. The opposite of flow is when your thoughts don’t match your goals. Your mind gets jumbled and stops you from taking thoughtful actions. It’s like having a messy room. It blocks your decision-making and leads to procrastination, except this time, the mess is in your mind.
Some people say that if you simply think about something, it’ll happen. That would be awesome, but it’s not how it works. Just thinking isn’t enough. To make the most of your thoughts, you have to set positive goals, challenge your doubts, picture success, and take action.
Click here to see how thoughts impact weight loss and dieting success.
To make the best chain reactions is it important to focus on how to stop overthinking and how to stop ruminating.