Think. Stop.

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. - Buddha

I'm fortunate to be surrounded by wise and insightful people. These people have helped me to tell on myself, and grow, and change in all kinds of ways I never thought possible. So any advice I get from them I take seriously.

I was told a few weeks back to start writing about what I thought. But not the kind of pontificating you find in lecture halls and dens of university professors, a different sort. He said to write all those things and scenarios I think and play out in my head but rarely verbalize. I've been doing that. It so happens that the vast majority of the "guesses" I make on any given day relating to people, places, or events, are usually far off target. Weatherpersons are probably a bad analogy because they get paid either way, but my winning percentage is god-awful. Sometimes I spend long chunks of time playing out these scenarios in my head too. Time wasted - and for what?

These dress rehearsals I hold in my head have the potential to manifest themselves in my relationships and in how I act. Controlling what I think has become that much more important in terms of dictating my peace and serenity, and my continued growth. The work is never done but I welcome it. Seeing the misspent energy and lies after the fact makes it easier not to always trust what I think.