A belief is nothing more than a chronic pattern of thought, and you have the ability to change your patterns of thought at any time. It just takes a bit of conscious effort at first, until you get the hang of it.

I found a great example of this idea while reading an excerpt in Unity Magazine, of an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert, best-selling author of the book, Eat, Pray, Love.

In her interview, she talked about repeating the phrase “I will not harbor unhealthy thoughts anymore, a mantra that she would invoke 700 times a day. That mantra sparked a vision of a harbor with ships carrying negative thoughts attempting to drop anchor. When one of those ships would attempt to enter the harbor of her mind, she would envision it being turned away.” I love this analogy.

Chronic patterns of thought are merely thoughts that have been held in mind and rehearsed over and over again, like a play. Just because a negative thought presents itself in the mind does not mean you have to get out the popcorn, pull up chair, and stay for acts one, two and three. You can simply refuse to take part in the mental drama and move on to something else.

Anytime you find yourself repeating old patterns of behavior that no longer serve your highest good, it’s time to say goodbye to the old thoughts in order to make room for some new ones.

By consistently refusing to harbor negative thoughts and consciously choosing those that feel better, negative thought patterns automatically morph into positive thought patterns. It just takes some conscious effort to begin “playing a new tune”. It is analogous to having forty-one flavors of ice cream to choose from and choosing vanilla every time. It might take a little bit of time to retrain your mind to the idea that chocolate is also a possibility.

Negativity is not something you are born with, it is a learned pattern of behavior. When you are willing to change your thought process from one that is self-sabotaging to one that is self-empowering, your life will change in ways you could never have imagined. It is like being your own mental bodyguard in a way; you always have your back.

As Elizabeth Gilbert so eloquently pointed out, you can stop harboring unhealthy thoughts at anytime. Start today! Your thoughts can change. Your story can change. Your life can change.