You don’t have to act on every thought you have or emotion you feel.
Let me swing a little harder… acting on every thought you have or emotion you feel is not wise, respectable, helpful, or your right to do without consequence.
What you can do with every single thought you have or emotion you feel is hold it up for inspection to determine its validity, relevance, and usefulness.
When you examine your thoughts it is helpful to ask the 6 core questions of sound critical thinking: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Of course there is a wide variety of variants for each of these questions so I’ll share some of my favorites.
Who
Whose thought am I thinking? Who does this thought pertain to? Who Benefits from it and who loses because of it?
What
What is the purpose of this thought? What does it help me do? What does it keep me from doing? What could happen if I believed this thought? What could happen if I reject this thought?
Where
Where did this thought come from? Where might it be taking me? Where is it helping my life? Where is harming my life?
When
When did I first think this thought? When does this thought matter to me and to others?
Why
Why am I thinking this thought? Why does it matter?
How
How does this thought help me? How does this thought harm me? How does it affect others?
We can use the same tool to explore our emotions.
Who
Who is affected by this emotion? Who triggered or cued this emotion?
What
What is this emotion doing for me? What is it doing to me?
Where
Where did this emotion come from? Where is it taking me? Where is it helping me? Where is it limiting me?
When
When did I start feeling this emotion? When does this emotion matter to me and to others?
Why
Why am I feeling this emotion? Why does this emotion matter?
How
Does this emotion help me? How does this emotion harm me? How does it affect others?
Do you think asking these questions about your thoughts and emotions is too hard or time consuming? Does this make you feel frustrated or overwhelmed? Maybe you think this is a great idea and it makes you feel invigorated to read it.
Either way, I would challenge you to take the thoughts and feelings that this morning reflection prompted in you and go hold them up for examination as an exercise in personal exploration.
