What are thoughts? How do we benefit from thoughts? What do they do for us and how can they help us achieve our purpose in life? `Let’s look at the definition of thought. I have found so many definitions but the one I have taken gives more meaning to what I am going to talk about:

1. reasoning power
2. the power to imagine: conception

We see that thoughts bring us reasoning power as well as the power to imagine which has been stated as conception. Conception can be defined in two meanings as well. The same Merriam-Webster dictionary defines conception as:

1. the capacity, function, or process of forming or understanding ideas or abstractions or their symbols
2. the originating of something in the mind

You are your thoughts means that what you are going to conceive in your mind will become reality because of the reasoning power to imagine. Thoughts come to the mind all of a sudden and they can disturb the way we are thinking at that given time. Thoughts can be good or bad. Don't believe every thought that comes to your mind because they might trigger some unwanted feelings like anxiety, worry, anger or some negativity.

You are what you think and confess! Your words go a long way whatever you say you will often get. Did anyone educate me on that? Well, the answer is no. I learned the hard way when I was struggling with the results of my prophecy those many years before. I told myself that if I cannot afford to look after my children to the level that is at my heart’s content God should not give me the children. Unfortunately, it became a reality when I could get pregnant and I forgot about what my thoughts created. There were wars against my body, my biology, my womanhood, my cultural standing, and battles in my mind. I had scars on my mind and my heart only I knew that they were there. This all had been created from the power of my thoughts. The mind is a volcanic minefield when it carries disabling thoughts.

The state of thoughts is such that they become the burden to the bearer. Thoughts are the inherent power within us that cannot be uprooted by an outside force. The only thing that can change our thoughts is the spirit within us. The spirit is created in perfection. This is something I never knew.

Dr Daniel Amen says the brain produces some hormones which are damaging to the brain if you entertain anxiety thoughts, worry thoughts, angry thought or any negative thoughts. If you have positive thoughts every system in your body relaxes and works better leading to happiness says Dr Daniel Amen.

You should think about your thoughts (meta-cognition) so that you can know what's important in your life, your goals, vision what you want in your life. Blaming yourself for problems in your life does not solve them. Blaming someone else for the challenges in your life either does not improve the situation. Don’t have the thought that it is never your fault but someone else when you have caused chaos in your life. You should remember that when you blame someone else it is the same as attacking yourself. You have to see your input in every outcome of your life because you are in control of yourself rather than other people. The types of thought processes which are like, black and white type of thinking which makes you believe the nonsense that has been imagined in your mind are not great for growth. Motivating your behaviour with guilt doesn't work either and it is not effective because you are bringing in negative self-talk into your space. You should not think with your feelings because then you can be rational. When you believe with your feelings it is usually associated with anxiety, write down the negative thought patterns so that you can work at getting rid of the negative thoughts. Ask yourself why are you thinking that way and its okay to talk to yourself about it. When you are felling sad, ask yourself again why you are feeling sad and ask yourself some questions so that you understand that what your thoughts might be telling you is not true or real that will empower you to know when to weed out these negative thoughts when they show up. These are the following questions:

1. Is it true?
2. Can I know absolutely say it true?
3. How do I feel when I have that thought?
4. Can I live without that thought?

James Allen in his book “As a Man Thinketh” said:

A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.

A thought is dropped onto our mind, it becomes a word which graces our tongue and then it is let out into the airwaves it brings out the behaviour and action. The seeds of our tongues will come back to us double fold. It is then imperative that we watch the words we let slip out of our tongues. It might be beneficial to use the scriptural verse which says we should become slow to speak so that we take time to think about what we say. Then you should be careful what you entertain in your mind because they soon become words which when let out of the mouth become created truth. We can only foster meaningful relationships with others if we can understand our thoughts first.