It's Just a Thought

(This blog was originally posted on December 6, 2016)

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.

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2017

Thoughts of the Day

Photo by Sara Fogan

      Every now and then I like (and need) to take a few moments and remind myself about what is really important to me, in my life. If you follow me on my Calminsense Hypnotherapy Facebook page you may have seen some of these quotes before on this page, or will in the future. Many of these Quotes of the Day are beautiful examples and illustrations of the work I do as a hypnotherapist, so I will probably draw on them in future essays.

• “Confidence on the outside begins by living with integrity on the inside.” – Brian Tracy

• “If Plan A didn’t work, the alphabet still has 25 more letters.” – Claire Cook

• “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” – Thomas Edison

• “To reach a goal we must set sail. Sail, not lie at anchor. Sail, not drift.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

• “Worry is a down-payment on a problem you may never have.” – Joyce Meyer

• "Either you run the day or the day runs you." – Jim Rohn

• “When the day is over, let it go. Don’t dwell on what you could’ve or should’ve done. Tomorrow is another day and another chance.” – Mandy Hale

• “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

• “Simplicity, patience, compassion; these three are your greatest treasures.” – Lao Tzu

• “Each one of us is the hero of our own life’s story.” – Lolly Daskal

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016     

Thoughts of the Day

Photo by Sara Fogan

      Every now and then I like (and need) to take a few moments and remind myself about what is really important to me, in my life. If you follow me on my Calminsense Hypnotherapy Facebook page you may have seen some of these quotes before on this page, or will in the future. Many of these Quotes of the Day are beautiful examples and illustrations of the work I do as a hypnotherapist, so I will probably draw on them in future essays.

• “We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.” – Gayle Foreman

• "Let a man lose everything else in the world but his enthusiasm and he will come through again to success.” – H. W. Arnold

• “The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

• “Maybe it’s not just about finding the perfect friend, partner or tribe, but finding the perfection in those you’ve already found.” – Mike Dooley

• “We have to be honest about what we want and take risks rather than lie to ourselves and make excuses to stay in our comfort zone.” – Roy Bennett

• “If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there's no need to worry.” – Dalai Lama

• “Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.” – Frank Tyger

• “Your voice is the one you hear most often through the day, and what you think influences what you do.” – Lolly Daskal

• “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas Edison

• “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.” – Gilda Radner

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016

Thoughts of the Day

Photo by Sara Fogan

      Every now and then I like (and need) to take a few moments and remind myself about what is really important to me, in my life. If you follow me on my Calminsense Hypnotherapy Facebook page you may have seen some of these quotes before on this page, or will in the future. Many of these Quotes of the Day are beautiful examples and illustrations of the work I do as a hypnotherapist, so I will probably draw on them in future essays.

• “You can focus on what’s tearing you apart, or on what’s holding you together.” – Zig Ziglar

• “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” – Buddha

• “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” – Thomas Edison

•  “The most important trust issue that we face, is learning to trust ourselves.” – Lolly Daskal

•  “Happiness is not the absence of problems. It is the ability to deal with them.” – Steve Maraboli

• “Never give up on yourself. Then you will never give up on others.” – PemaChödrön

• “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

• “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” – Proverb 

•  “Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge.” – Deepak Chopra

• “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” – Wayne Dyer­

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016