Most people believe their suffering comes from their circumstances. Sometimes it does. But often, what keeps us stuck is not the event itself—it’s the story our mind keeps repeating about the event.
One of the most important things I have learned is that not every thought deserves my attention.
For years, I assumed that because a thought appeared in my mind, it must be true.
“I’ll never get through this.”
“I’m not enough.”
“It’s too late for me.”
“She’s better than me.”
The thoughts came. I believed them. And because I believed them, they shaped how I felt.
Then I discovered something that changed everything:
A thought is not a fact. It is simply a thought.
What I needed to learn was to not claim ownership of that thought, and certainly not try to take it home. That is when I understood that the moment we become aware of a thought, we need to create space around it, instead of getting swept away by it.
Space to breathe.
Space to choose.
Space to consider another possibility.
That space is where freedom begins.
Imagine Standing Beside a River
Let me explain. Most of us spend our lives jumping into every thought that floats by, like it was a raft or something we have to deal with.
We ride it downstream.
We argue with it.
We defend it.
We become it.
Mindfulness invites us to stay onto the riverbank instead.
Don’t jump in, or try to grab the thought floating by. We see the thoughts floating by, we watch them bob and twirl as we are tempted to take hold of one, but we just watch. The thoughts still pass by, but now we can observe them go by.
We can notice:
“There goes worry.”
“There goes self-doubt.”
“There goes fear.”
We don’t have to climb aboard every raft that passes us.
A Practice I Use
When I notice myself feeling anxious, discouraged, or overwhelmed, I ask:
“What am I thinking right now?”
Then I change one small word.
Instead of saying:
“I am a failure.”
I say:
“I am having the thought that I am a failure.”
It sounds simple but, it changes everything.
Suddenly, I am no longer trapped inside the thought. I am observing it. And once I can observe it, I can question it.
The Pause That Changes Everything
Between a thought and our reaction is a tiny pause. The space we create. Most people never notice it. Mindfulness helps us find it.
And in that pause lives our power. Not the power to control every circumstance, but the power to choose which thoughts we nurture and which ones we let drift away.
Because we are not every thought we think.
We are the awareness that notices them.
Perhaps the next time your mind tells you that you’re too old, too late, too broken, or too far behind, pause for a moment.
Notice the thought.
Then gently remind yourself:
“That is a thought, not a fact.”
And watch how much space opens up inside you.
Mindfulness is more than just a buzzword; it’s a profound way of being that invites us to fully engage with life in the here and now. Book two of the series Living Life Unleashed focuses on Mindfulness Over Matter. It’s about paying attention with purpose, without judgment, to our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and surroundings. In doing so, we cultivate a deep sense of presence, awareness, and acceptance that can transform how we experience ourselves and the world around us.
The book delves into the practical techniques, benefits, and applications of mindfulness, empowering you to integrate this ancient wisdom into your modern-day life.
I invite you to discover the profound power of mindfulness that nurtures our well-being, cultivates resilience, and allows us to Live a Life Unleashed!
