Grooves in Thinking

Yesterday I wrote about our propensity to travel the same route over and over again. We get into ruts of how we move and live. We also do this in our thinking.

We get into 'grooves' in our thinking and sometimes it keeps us stuck in patterns of living that no longer serve us.

I once heard our thought processes described this way: If you have a pile of dirt and you pour water down on the top of it, grooves will begin to form down the sides of the hill as the water runs down. The more water you pour, the deeper the grooves become.

Eventually, the water can not run in any other pattern. It always runs down the grooves that already exist. The grooves get deeper and deeper, making a new route less and less possible.

This is so true!

When we try to change our habits or routines, in life or in thinking, it is not an easy undertaking!

In order to change the grooves we have to carve new grooves and divert the water into the new channels. We have to slowly block off the old channels, and allow them to fill in, so that they are no longer viable routes for the water to flow through.

The same is true with our thoughts. When we get into a problematic thought pattern, we have to invest some serious energy into breaking free from it. It doesn't just 'happen.' We have to 'do the work' to retrain our minds out of the problematic/negative pattern of thinking and into a more positive, constructive pattern!

It is totally possible, but it requires some effort!

Re-Thinking is our path to freedom!!!