Pathwalking 156
What am I thinking? What am I feeling? Am I going to create a reality I want, or a reality I don’t want? What thoughts, feelings and actions will put me on the Path I desire?
These are the questions I need to answer. These are the questions that will allow me to acquire the path I should truly be on, and to get myself to the place I really want to be.
There is one more question, however, that has to be asked. It will provide the over-arching theme of my Pathwalk. What do I want?
Clarity is extremely important. If I do not know precisely what it is I want, then I am not going to be able to make it. I can “walk” whatever path I choose, but if I really don’t know what it is I want, then I’m journeying with no end goal. Yes, the voyage itself is important, but in many respects Pathwalking without an end goal is just the same as making no choices and taking no control over my life.
So – what is it that I really, truly want? What do I desire to be the outcome of this particular path I am on? As one of my actions for the coming new year, I am taking the time to sit down and write out a list of the things I want. Once I complete that list, I will prioritize it, since I know that in all probability this will require walking several different paths. When I know what I really want, I can then start to answer the other questions I have posed here.
What am I thinking? I cannot tell you how often I just let my mind wander. I allow conversations about unpleasant and unhappy things dominate my consciousness, and often rather than redirect the thought process I just let it go. It’s pretty important to Pathwalking that I be conscious of my thought process, because it is thought that leads to feeling and then actions. If I am not mindful of what I am thinking about I am going to wind up spinning my wheels and getting nowhere fast.
The key to this is surprisingly simple on the one hand. I need to take time multiple times a day to ask myself “What am I thinking?” In asking the question, I force myself to take a look at what is in my head. This is difficult on the other hand because my thought processes can be so complicated. If I don’t know what I am focusing my thoughts on it can be tricky to answer this question. But that does not make it any less important. Knowing the answer to what I am thinking will help me to understand or at least explain the next question.
What am I feeling? Chances are I am feeling how I am feeling based upon what I am thinking. If I am thinking about something that upsets me or depresses me or angers me, well it should be no surprise if I am feeling upset, depressed or angry. If I am thinking about something that makes me feel good, strong, encouraged, excited…this translates to what I am feeling.
Be mindful of your mind, be mindful of your heart. They may seem to be speaking different languages, but the truth is that your feelings are usually the result of your thoughts. So I need to ask not only what am I thinking, but what am I feeling? When I pose these questions I need to further take the time to actually answer them as well.
Am I going to create a reality I want, or a reality I don’t want? Knowing the answer to what am I thinking and what am I feeling will help me find the answer to what reality I am creating. If I am thinking about negative things, and feeling negative as I go along I am most likely creating a reality I do not want. If I feel annoyed at something and I am thinking about it frequently, and putting more energy into both thought and feeling…consciousness creates reality, and I am looking at something I do not want.
Mindfulness of thought and feeling will allow me to better focus on just what reality I intend to make. This is a simple statement, but putting it into practice in the everyday world can be challenging.
It is also hugely important to be focusing on what you WANT, as opposed to what you DO NOT WANT. Society is all about fighting against things, resisting things. We put our focus on battling the problems, standing against the bad rather than for the good. When we put our focus on what we don’t want, we actually give that power. Again, if consciousness creates reality, if you are focusing on poverty and war and hate and corruption and so on….is it that big a surprise that there always seems to be more negatives to look at?
We cannot easily change what the media gives us, and the deluge of bad news at our fingertips. What we CAN change, however, is what we individually focus on. If we work on what we want as opposed to against what we don’t want consciously, we can change our own little corners of the world. It will take time, but if more people work for what they want and not against what they don’t want, I believe we will see a difference.
Being aware of whether I am focused on what I want instead of what I don’t want will help me to choose the right path for me. When I know my thoughts, know my feelings, I will know my path. Which leads to the final question I posed:
What thoughts, feelings and actions will put me on the Path I desire? This is going to be different for me than it is for you, but next week I am going to take my first New Year’s Action and share it here.
What are you thinking? What are you feeling? Are you going to create a reality you want, or a reality you don’t want?
This is the one-hundred fifty sixth entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share. Thank you for joining me.
The first fifty-two weeks (Year One) of installments of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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