At times it can feel like, and sound like, there are 4000 people living in my head. All clamouring for my attention and all dictating what I should/must/have to do. Ultimately, no matter how many voices there may be, no matter how much mental noise is going on, they all are screaming the same basic message – I am not enough. This message comes out in many forms such as not thin enough, not good looking enough, not rich enough, not funny enough, not clever enough, not successful enough, not creative enough, not young/old enough, not loving enough, not assertive enough, not present enough, not driven enough, not relaxed enough, not open enough and so on. It is never ending, but it all points to that one message. And all the voices in my head serve to promote and pump out that message at every opportunity constantly.

Very often these thoughts are unconscious and easily influence my behaviour and decisions. As soon as I become aware of these thoughts I then have choices. I can choose to challenge or ignore them. As soon as I am aware of the thoughts I can see them for what they truly are, which is pure propaganda born from fear and insecurity. Knowing this enables me to detach from them and not believe them or entertain them in any way. I can see that I am not those thought, they are not reflecting who I truly am at any time in my life.

Too often people are living in the slipstream of these thoughts. The thoughts are driving them and controlling them. They believe what they think, they believe the thoughts they hear in their heads. They accept them at face value, never challenge them, letting their thoughts lead them aimlessly and haphazardly though life. Being consumed and identified with their thinking is no different to being addicted to thinking. It is chewing gum for the mind, numbing them from reality.

Reality is actually beyond our thoughts and is experienced through the body not from the head. It is like watching all of life through a TV screen and never leaving the comfort of the TV room (the head) to go outside to engage and experience life first hand, never getting your hands dirty, your hair tossed and your feet wet.

So do not identify with the thoughts in your head, they are not you. The army of voices in the head (maybe you have only one voice that criticises you, either way the potential impact is the same) are a result of conditioning and are of the past. Following their instructions causes you to react all the time, rather than respond from awareness. These voices keep you out of control and on high alert, ready to react to any perceived threat. To re-act is to simply repeat past actions or behaviours thus ensuring you get the results you have always been getting. Nothing changes when all you do is react and the voices in the head want nothing to change. They hate change and fear the unknown.

All thinking is happening in you but it is not you. Like a pot of tomato soup on the cooker. You are the pot and the soup is all the thinking going on inside you. The pot is not the soup! The soup is separate to the pot, regardless of what type of soup is in it, and it does not change or influence the pot (if it does then you bought a crap pot so throw it out immediately). So if you do not like tomato soup then change the soup (change your thoughts) and make better soup in life. Step back from your habitual thinking and ask yourself, is it time to throw out this soup and pick a new one?!

If you don’t like any soup then ignore the above analogy and just remember that whatever thoughts you are having they are not in any way reflecting the nature of who and what you are. So think great thoughts but take none of them to heart.