Monday, June 4, 2012

6/5/12—Thinking a New Thought

Today's Draw: Two of Swords from Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince. What thoughts are swirling around in your head right now? Are they productive and supportive? And if not, what other thoughts could you be thinking instead?

I'm really digging the description of this card from the book. She says that, while the Ace of Swords represents a state of being conscious, the Two of Swords is about the self-conscious. It's about the mind thinking about its own thoughts. 

I had never thought of it that way before...the mind thinking about its own thoughts. 

Anyway, reflecting on what the mind is thinking is what this card is about today. It indicates a time to rethink, analyze and confirm your thinking. Many times we don't even pay attention to our own thoughts as they barrel through our heads. 

Our own self reflection, or even reflection on other things, holds the purpose of deepening our understanding. This card suggests that changing the thought to something different can actually help us deepen our understanding more. So become aware of what you're thinking and consider how you can think something different.

For a good portion of my career it used to really rub up against my ego when clients would send something back because they didn't like the direction I had gone in. It's not something that happens terribly often, but it's inevitable in a creative career. You just can't please all the people all the time. While the first solution you presented may have worked well strategically and creatively, it didn't resonate with the client the same way. Or maybe, without knowing it, you inadvertently stumbled across some idea that's a no-no in their industry. There are many reasons why this would happen, most of which are not "we're sending it back because you suck."

Anyway, in my early years, I'd spend a lot of mental energy around "what I gave them before was brilliant and they just can't appreciate the wisdom of my genius!" Haha. But then I'd go back to the drawing board. Because I had to. And, without fail, the solution I would come up with in the second round would be, admittedly, a better answer than the original one. There was wisdom in their sending the idea back. So, I get it now. Most of the time I'll hit the nail on the head the first time. But when I don't, it gives me an opportunity to deepen my understanding of the client's business and needs. Either way, it's a good thing. 

In that case, thinking a new thought is probably why I'm still successful doing what I do today. The old thought is why people quit this business and move on. The old thought is what burns you out after 15 years. The old thought is what makes you bitter. And the new thought really made me better at what I do...it provided a deeper understand of the value of rejected ideas.

Another aspect of "thinking a new thought" draws upon on the subject of manifestation from yesterday. Our thoughts shape our reality...or as Mike Dooley says, "thoughts become things". If you really listened to your thoughts, you'd probably be surprised at how often you think self-defeating thoughts..."I suck at this", "I'll never lose weight" or "nobody loves me" are just a few examples. We do this, then wonder why we never get better at such and such, why we never lose weight and why nobody ever loves us!

Our thoughts become our reality. So thinking about the thoughts we think is an important part of creating change in our lives. Until we change our thoughts, we can't manifest what we want outside of our heads. 

So what have you been thinking? And what else could you be thinking? It's worth a thought.

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