Greenwood County Democratic Party

The following was provided by Kervin Searles, owner of Gravity Counseling Group of Greenwood.

Thoughts are connected to feelings and behavior. We do a lot of thinking daily either consciously or otherwise. Experts estimate that between 50,000 and 80,000 thoughts go through our mind each day. Those thoughts can create a pattern that causes distress to our daily life.

Dr. Jude King once stated, “Your life gravitates in the direction of your most dominant thoughts.” How often do we say, I’m not enough. I’m not sure I can make this move. I’m not qualified to be in this position. I don’t think I can lead in this manner. If these thoughts have ever crossed your mind, how long did you dwell on them and how did it play into the action or behaviors you engaged in from day to day. What does your life look like as a result of those thoughts? Quite frankly, your thoughts strongly influence your feelings and decision-making which then influences your behavior. How you think determines how you act.

Dr. Loren Soeiro states, “When it’s this easy to fall into thought patterns that sabotage our good intentions and undercut our confidence, is there really a simple way out? Not really — there’s nothing simple about challenging one’s own thought process, again and again. It’s never easy to question a long held approach to reality (even if that approach has become deeply self-defeating).” However, we can proactively encourage our thought patterns by filling our entertainment and leisure diet with positive images, gratitude, and kindness. Mentally record the things that make you happy and the joy experienced from past accomplishments. Refer back to those moments in time of self-doubt. As long as you have a desire to live fully, you have all the power you need to develop the right mindset of thoughts and beliefs.

Kervin K. Searles, LPC