Whose thoughts run your head? That is a strange question. We take for granted we are the ones who think our thoughts, when in fact they are only in part our production, if at all. This article is a perfect example of that.

We act like resonators for other people’s minds, contemporary intellectual currents, commonly held unquestioned beliefs, willful influences, and overpowering models. 

Our thoughts are socially constructed composites inside which those mental influencers weave themselves around our personal circumstances and general zeitgeist.

This is a truth we keep parked under normal circumstances. Thoughts are thoughts; whether you think them or they’re visiting, how are you going to function without them?

They were designed to be useful, and evolved to present themselves as such, even when they are obsessive and defeating.

Entire schools of thought have developed around critical thinking, and I have little to add to that, other than it doesn’t hurt to question the thoughts which run your head, especially when they seem to bring damage to your life.

Who wants you insecure, mediocre, afraid, weak? Who wants you to inherit your family’s medical problems? Who decides what you can learn and whether your desires are embarrassing?

Is what you think true, useful, and worth turning into a habitual thought pattern?

We may not think every one of our thoughts, but we can see all of them as they pass through our minds. Think of this as going to the thinking store, you don’t have to buy what you don’t like, and in case the place doesn’t have what you’re looking for, by all mean shop around and try new concepts for a change, even when they feel like they don’t fit.

Be special for a week, or artistic, or brilliant. Not really you? Being insecure isn’t you either, and the former personas are more enjoyable.

Take a deeply held belief and think its exact opposite for a while, just to see how it feels.

Question something you hold as evident; you’ll be surprised how that changes your perspective. Is the sky blue? Not really. Not even the perception of it, occasionally.

In conclusion, what are the points worth remembering?

1. Your mental processes are composites, constructed and kept running by multiple influencers: intellectual fads, powerful role models, unquestioned beliefs. These influencers reinforce each other through continuous long-term use.
2. Get into the habit of examining your thoughts as if they were externally imposed and eliminate the ones that don’t serve you.
3. Habitual thinking molds your perception. Damaging and defeating thoughts actively diminish your prospects.
4. Take a deeply held belief and think its exact opposite for a week to experience the change in perspective.
5. It’s perfectly fine to question reality: what is true will continue to exist.
6. We may not think every thought, but we can see all of them: regularly prune the mental patterns that aren’t useful to you.
7. Always ask yourself whose purpose is served by a self-defeating thought.
8. Who needs to give you permission and who times your actions?