Thought Quality = Life Quality

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” Marcus Aurelius

When we go back through our life experiences, we remember the good and the bad things that have happened to us. We think about the times people were out to get us. We think about the times when life operated in our favor. We even think about the lessons learned and victories earned through life experiences.

But, which of those was actually true? Every experience you have had is remembered and recreated in your own thoughts. Every experience that tested you was either a setback meant to harm you or a setup meant to prepare you for success. Which one it was is not dependent upon the experience itself. It is dependent upon the meaning you give to the experience. Every struggle was either meant to make you weaker or make you stronger. You get to determine that in your own mind.

When you go about your day, you can be happy and seek out the beauty and majesty of the world around you. Or, you can be angry by seeking out the world’s ugliness. Going back to the philosophical teachings of Aurelius, one should always seek to reserve labeling an event as good or bad until the experience has fully played out. He taught that we should be prepared to face life with an open mind, humbly accepting that the experience of life was a gift in all its forms. We should not limit ourselves by looking for what is wrong in the experience.

Conditioning our thought life to be focused on the opportunity in every struggle, the growth in every stumble, and the beauty in every experience takes time. It also takes intentionality. When you experience anything, identify the story you are telling yourself about what it means. Then ask, “is that the meaning that best serves me?” If the answer is no, ask yourself what the best story would be that would propel your life forward in gratitude and joy. Once you have the answer to the best story for the experience, simply choose to think of that better story as the true story.

Every experience you have means nothing until you, the leader of your own thoughts, give it meaning. What are some past experiences that you have labeled as bad that you could go back and label as positive? How can you reshape your view of the present by relabeling the experiences of your past? I completely believe in your ability to lead your thoughts in the right direction. You’ve got this!

Jody Holland
www.jodyholland.com
YouTube.com/thejodyholland