I'm not especially a fan of Joyce Meyer. Last week I heard of a book written based on some scientific evaluation of the whole "positive thinking" phenomenon that is at the center of her ministry. I'm sure she thinks she's doing a lot of good with it, but the study found that it tends to hinder rather than help happiness. I guess maybe I embrace that because it matches up with what I believe already: that making happiness a goal makes it more difficult to achieve, whereas it more naturally occurs in the ebb and flow of emotions that result from living as we should. Focus on being the person I am to be, and my happiness will take care of itself.
Still, I can't help but think that the image my FB friend shared this morning failed to finish quoting her accurately: "If you want to get over a problem, stop talking about it. Your mind affects your mouth, and your mouth affects your mind. It's difficult to stop talking about a situation until you stop thinking about it."
That is true, as far as it goes. But what concludes the beginning of this thought is more like this: it is impossible to stop thinking about a situation until you stop talking about it.
The thing is, some situations call for us us to think about them, and others call for the increased level of attention that cannot be healthily achieved by thinking alone. Still, we tend to obsess over things that shouldn't be as important as we make them - or, at least, I still do - and to stop dwelling on them all the time involves discipline of both thought and expression.
The same is true of other action we take, btw. Actions are prompted by our thoughts and feelings, and also reinforce them.
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