(This blog was originally posted on
December 6, 2016)
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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
Perhaps
someone has said this to you—or you used this expression, yourself—when making
a suggestion: “It’s just a thought.” In fact, this statement is probably used
most frequently if the reception (openness) to a particular idea seems likely
to be rejected. In this case, that particular thought is symbolically dumped or
thrown away. “It’s just a thought” is the excuse we make for ever having
entertained the idea in the first place.
I
have two thoughts about this situation.
On
the one hand, most of us have had to deal with some kind of negative chatter
(self-doubt) in our mind when we are trying something new or are in the middle of
an important project at work: I have never been able to do X before; what
makes me think I will be successful at Y? Or, I have no business wearing
this outfit; it was obviously designed for someone with a completely different
(better) physique. More common, a thought pops into our mind just as we are
drifting off to sleep: Did I remember to lock my office door? Does my
boyfriend/girlfriend remember that tomorrow is our one-month anniversary of
dating? Why is my acne flaring up now? In these instances, it is very
helpful to remind ourselves, “It’s just a thought. I can control my thoughts.
Since I can control my thoughts, I can put this one aside for a little while
and do what I need to do.”
Conversely,
our thoughts originate in the subconscious mind. To automatically reject a
thought or idea as a way to deflect possible criticism from other people could
mean that you miss (or at least delay) the chance to experience a creative
opportunity. As Thomas Edison
famously stated, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is
dressed in overalls and looks like work.” What if that “thought” you have at
your next business meeting could save your failing company millions of dollars
and/or several employees’ jobs, create the next great video-game or script for
a blockbuster movie, etc.?
Thoughts and
ideas are products of our life experiences and feelings about them. The moral
of this story is, before you reject one of those throw-away thoughts remember
that you can control it and ultimately even use a behavior the idea inspired to
benefit you in the future.
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