How To Hear Yourself

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A wise yogi text me a message this week that I want to share with you –

Refrain yourself from thinking unnecessarily. When we reduce the quantity of thoughts, we can increase their quality.

How often is the first thought we hear when we wake up not even our own? If we check our social media or turn on the television the moment our eyes open, then we’re quite literally taking in someone else’s thoughts before we’re able to listen to ourselves.

Since receiving that deceptively simple message, I’ve been thinking a lot about how often I take in unnecessary information which prompts me to think unnecessarily – when I turn on a podcast in the school pick-up line, when I watch a YouTube video while creating a graphic, or even when I crack open a book with my morning tea. Is the added information unnecessary? Am I truly learning anything or simply distracting myself from myself?

I’ve also started to use the message as a kind of mantra. When I catch myself spinning a web of reasons and explanations, I ask my mind – is this necessary? It reminds me of the Albert Einstein quote –

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Often what a problem, question, or challenge requires is a change in the quality of our thoughts. As my wise yogi friend reminded me this week, we do that by refraining from thinking unnecessarily.

Easier said than done, right? But, I believe we begin by finding pockets of time to just sit and observe. Instead of adding to a moment, we subtract.

Can we not look at our phones until after breakfast? Can we drive somewhere in silence? Is it possible to sit and hear nothing but our own precious breath?

Try it. Then, let me know how it went by writing in the comments.