Our thoughts are like seeds. The more I have pondered on this idea, the more I have realized how true it is in many ways. Positive thoughts are like good seeds that produce flowers and vegetables, and negative thoughts are like the seeds that form weeds. 'Our Thoughts are Like Seeds' is the topic of lesson 1 in our Our Thoughts are Like Seeds Program.
It is estimated that we have between 60,000-80,000 thoughts each day. For the average person, around 80% of these thoughts are negative. That is an astounding and concerning statistic. It doesn't seem like our odds are really that great, does it? Our brains are programmed to look for the negative, so they naturally generate more negative thoughts. The good news here is that by using simple tools and strategies, we can train our brains to think more positively, making the percentage of negative thoughts go down and the percentage of positive thoughts go up.
Our Thoughts are Like Seeds
When we think of a garden, the type of seed we plant determines the type of plant that grows. If we plant a flower seed, a flower will grow. When we plant a tomato seed, a tomato plant will grow. When we plant a weed, a weed will grow. We cannot plant a cucumber seed and expect a pumpkin to grow. It is just common sense. The same is true for thoughts. If we plant a positive thought we will get a positive result. If we plant a negative thought we will get a negative result.
It is important for us to be intentional with our thoughts. We must intentionally plant good seeds in our garden. Plants don't spontaneously grow in a garden (only rarely does this happen). Only weeds do that. Weeds are nasty little things, and they can quickly take over an entire garden. They strangle the good plants growing.
Plants need to be cared for. They need to be watered and have the right amount of sunlight. Weeds can grow in any condition and anywhere without any care.
The same is true for thoughts. We must intentionally plant positive thoughts. They do not usually just come up on their own. We don't have to work at all for the negative ones to pop up. But we have to care for our positive thoughts. We need to nurture them and continue to help them grow. Negative thoughts require none of that, and if we don't nurture our positive thoughts, the negative ones will come and strangle the positive ones.
How can we have so thousands of negative thoughts and expect our results to be positive? We really can't.
Thoughts Lead to Results
Our thoughts are very powerful. A thought is the first step to any action we take. When we have positive thoughts, our experiences are more positive. We feel better about ourselves and our capabilities, and it shows in the results we get in life.
There is a natural pattern from thought to result. A Thought leads to an emotion, which leads to an action, which leads to a result. Following are some examples of this.
- The thought “I am ugly” could lead to an emotion of shame, which could lead to not talking to friends, which could lead to the result of being alone when you want to be with friends.
- The thought “I am enough” could lead to an emotion of confidence, which could lead to introducing yourself to new people, which could lead to the result of having a lot of people who are your friends.
Can you think of any examples from your own life?
How Changing a Thought Can Change Our Experience
When we change our thoughts our results change too. Think about this for a minute. This means in the end we have some power of our results. There are, of course, things we don't have control of even if we control our thoughts well. I am not saying that if we have a negative experience it always means something is wrong with our thoughts. However, this is true in a lot of cases.
Let's say I am going to speak in front of hundreds of people. This is something that would be very scary for most people. I go up to the stage with thoughts like, "This is scary", "I'm not going to do good enough", "I never do well when I speak in public", "I'm going to say something stupid", etc. I am only telling my brain how I am going to perform. Because of these negative thoughts I am going to have emotions of inadequacy, fear, and dread. I am going to go up to the stage and fumble with my words, say things the wrong way, and overall not do as great of a job as I want to do (action). The result will be that my speech doesn't produce the results I want it to. Maybe I wanted to inspire others, and it just doesn't happen because I was such a bumbling mess.
Now let's flip the story. I go up to the stage with thoughts like, "I've got this", "I can do hard things", "I am enough", "I get better every time I do this". I might still be nervous, but I am going to have a lot less fear than in the example above. These positive thoughts are going to help me feel empowered and maybe even a little excited. My performance will be a lot better, I will be able to say the things I planned, and I will feel confident and excited about the speech. Hopefully I also inspired someone, which was my goal.
Awareness Of Our Thoughts Is Important
It is important to be aware of our thoughts. Awareness is the first step to making any change in our positive/negative thoughts ratio. When we are aware of the thoughts we are having, we are more able to adjust and make changes.
Try keeping track of the thoughts you have. Awareness is the first step to making any change. Try tracking your thoughts using the Thoughts Tracking printable provided in our free resource library. Have your kids do it too! Leave a comment telling me about your experience!
Want To Teach Your Kids This Concept?
The Our Thoughts Are Like Seeds program is the perfect way to teach your kids how their thoughts are like seeds. It is full of activities, printable pages, games, and stories that help kids learn about their thoughts in a fun way. The activities help reinforce the concepts and apply them in daily life. The lessons are designed so you that it only takes 5-10 minutes each day to teach the concepts and apply them.
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Summary:
- Our thoughts are like seeds. Positive thoughts produce positive results just as a flower seed produces a flower. Negative thoughts produce negative results just as planting a weed seed will produce a weed.
- A thought is the first step toward any result we get.
- We can change our experiences by changing our thoughts.
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