What Do You Think About?

What Do You Think About?

What do you think about when you’re not specifically focused on a task or activity? Do your thoughts run wild? Mine do and most of the time I’m not at all happy about where they go. It seems the minute I let up on deliberate thinking, all my worries flood in; the deadlines I’m not sure I’ll meet, the oh-so-awful economy, the company I pitched to which hasn’t yet made the decision to purchase, and other things…

I’ve had it with this hijacking of my thinking! I’ve found a way to stop it, in fact, a way to achieve two things I’d like to achieve – at once.

I’m filling in those empty spaces with thoughts of gratitude before any other thoughts have the chance to crowd in.

I know I should work on Gratitude. Al reminds me all the time and he’s not the only one (just the one who stands out in my mind….I wonder why!) But to be frank, I forget. I just forget. Maybe it’s because of the speed with which those random thoughts appear whenever there is a space between my thoughts. In they come, distracting me completely as I end up focusing on the issues they present and trying to solve the problems.

No more!

From now on, I’m filling up the empty spaces in my thoughts with gratitude. When my task is paused, when I stop to take a breath, I’m going to think about things I’m grateful for. When I’m waiting in a line-up, or on hold on the phone; when my car is stopped at a red light – I’ll be filling up those spaces with gratitude.

Life can be pretty crazy at times. Sometimes the waters are choppy, not like those smooth-sailing waters we would prefer. But there’s always a way to navigate and regain your balance. I’ve found one way.
What do you think about when you’re not actively doing something? How do you remember to be grateful? What do you fit into the empty spaces in your thoughts?

photo credit: Mike Baird

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About The Author


I have always loved writing and community building. I’ve written a book about healing and happiness, The Happy Place, as well as a Community Building book, Sounding the Drum: Community Building in the Digital Age,both available at any Amazon store. I’ve been through life changes that I thought were the end of my world, but I’m still here. You never know what will happen next. Isn’t that what makes life interesting?