Jacey Verdicchio - A Children's Author

It’s noisy out there.  Does anyone else feel like they can’t hear themselves think sometimes?  And if we can’t hear ourselves think, who’s making our decisions?

The thoughts we think from moment to moment have a greater impact on our lives than the situations we can’t control.  Two people can have roughly the same circumstances but have very different outcomes if they think and respond differently.  The only way to know if our thoughts are leading us in the direction we want to go is to pay attention to them.

It’s easy to pay attention to what other people are saying at work, at school, in social settings, on TV, on the radio, in the community, and in writing on blogs, in the newspaper, and on Facebook.  These inputs can overshadow and drown out the one voice that has the most bearing on your life: yours.  They can also drown out the voice that has the biggest investment and best interest in your life: God’s.

Try listening to your thoughts throughout the day, especially the ones that trigger emotions.  Feelings are worth noticing, because they give us more information about ourselves than just a simple passing thought.

Pay attention to your responses to all the other voices you hear.  If you have a “knee jerk” reaction to something, maybe it’s something to analyze further.  If a thought doesn’t line up with the direction you want to take your life, instead of beating yourself up for it, determine where it’s coming from so you can address it.

Maybe it’s just me, but from what I can tell, a lot of our thoughts involve judging ourselves for shortcomings, mistakes, missed opportunities or foolish blunders.  Becoming your own biggest critic sabotages you because your thoughts and focus inevitably determine your life.  Focus on the negatives, and you’re setting yourself up for more of the same.

It gets especially confusing when we spend time judging ourselves by everyone else’s standards.  Listening to so many viewpoints and then living to avoid judgment from those entities is exhausting.  You don’t have to listen to all the outside inputs all the time.  Without them, maybe you can get a better idea of what you really think, and get some input from the still, small voice of God.  Whether we’re aware of our thoughts and internal dialogue or not, it is guiding our futures.  Listen so you can make sure you like where you’re headed!