Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change. John Assaraf.¹

Some people believe that we only use a small portion of our brain to do all the things we do; I know I’ve heard people say this before and thought it was true. An article from MedicalNewsToday.com notes that neurologist Barry Gordon calls this idea a “myth” and says, “…the majority of the brain is almost always active.”² Since most of our brain is active and use, the question is how do we get the most out of it?

We need to remember that thinking is a process. Sometimes, we have thoughts that pass through our minds for various reasons. The key is to remember that you have control over what you do with those thoughts. This process is known as critical thinking.

Let’s look at a quick example. The thought may cross your mind that that you’re going to fail an exam, that someone doesn’t like you, that you’re a failure. At the moment the thought crosses your mind, you do not have to decide whether it is true or not; let the thought be. Accept the thought as is – not true, not false.

After you’ve given yourself some time, then process the thought. It might look something like this, “Ok, what can I do to avoid failing the exam? Even if I do, it will be okay.” “Maybe that person doesn’t like me; not everyone is going to like me and that’s ok. I can’t control who someone likes.” “I may not have accomplished the goals I want to accomplish, but I’m working on one thing that I can do today to get me headed toward my goals.”

Allowing yourself to process your thoughts will help you to keep negative thoughts in perspective while filling your mind up with positive thoughts. I love what Scripture says in Philippians 4:8 about filling our minds with positive thoughts:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ³

Be encouraged: thinking is a process. You can do it and you can do it well. When you fill your mind with beauty and truth, your life will most definitely change.

1. Barnes, How to Overcome Anxiety, 86. ↩︎
2. Lana Burgess, “How much of our brain do we actually use? Brain facts and myths,” accessed April 21, 2024, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321060. ↩︎
3. Philippians 4:8 VOICE,” accessed April 21, 2024, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Phil.4.8&version=VOICE ↩︎