Side note. I think many people don't realise how ...
literal ... the phrase "choosing your own thoughts" really is.
Of course there are many ways to do it. I give you a simple example of how I do it.
Every morning I take the train to work. From where I get off, I need to walk five minutes to my office. If I am anticipating a bad day at work (eg due to the workload or whatever), I do a
walking meditation as I walk to my office.
After two minutes, as my mind begins to settle into the meditation, I will give myself a simple mental task. Eg as I continue to walk slowly and steadily, I may tell myself to deliberately think 10 simple, positive thoughts, without interruption, about my upcoming day at work. As I think these thoughts, I count them off.
I don't have to strain myself and come up with ridiculously upbeat thoughts. I simply choose positive thoughts which subjectively feel "realistic" & believable to me. For example, my mental conversation with myself may go like this.
Quote:
"Number One. Today is definitely not going to be the most difficult day that I've successfully survived at work. I've gone through much more difficult days.
Number Two. Actually, Project X is very interesting. It's certainly not every day that a bank like Lehman Brothers goes bankrupt. Handling a matter like this is a rare learning opportunity.
Number Three. Heck, I'm GLAD I am not working at Lehman! I'm just working at a bank that has SOME business transactions with Lehman. And now I have to manage some of those transactions, that's all.
Number Four. It's not like I'm alone in this. I have many colleagues around the world who are also dealing with the implications of the Lehman collapse. We can help each other.
Number Five. Come to think of it, it's really great that the bank where I work is one of the stable, solid ones!
Number Six. I just need to do my best. Everyone knows that this Lehman thing is a huge mess. No one expects me to clear this stuff up by tomorrow. In fact, it could take a year or more.
Number Seven. Hey ... That makes me an indispensable employee, for at least the next one year!"
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Ten thoughts later, I am feeling very good. All this is done in the 5 minutes walk, from train station to office. By the time I arrive at my office, I feel very good. Really. I don't have to "make" myself feel good, or "force" myself to feel good. I just feel good. It just is so.
(And maybe this is what Angela does, on a 24/7 basis, and that's why she's always feeling good).
If you believe in the LOA and what Abraham Hicks says about the pre-paving technique, you'll also agree that I've also just created a better day for myself, at work. And possibly, a better next-one-year for myself at work.
Now of course, one could say that in the example I have given above, the "problem" I have does not compare to (1) war, (2) the death of Bob's wife, or (3) getting raped. And it's true. What I gave is merely an example, to illustrate how to choose thoughts.
It is really as simple as that. Clear your mind. Choose your thoughts. No need to reach for thoughts that are too positive & upbeat for you to regard them as "realistic". Simply reach for more-positive / less-negative thoughts that feel believable to you.
Even in a wartime scenario, there are positive thoughts to think. Like:
--> "One day, this war must come to an end."
--> "I could be among the survivors."
--> "Many of my friends and family could still be alive."
--> "They may survive the war too."
--> "It's possible that one day, we will be reunited."
Unlike Angela, I dare not say that I would find war delightful. But I really believe that in just about any situation, one can seek to choose more-positive / less-negative thoughts. And that such thoughts will alleviate the suffering.