"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." Buddha

That’s a nice quote. Though scholars believe that it’s not a quote from Buddha but was a rendering from Thomas Byrom, an Oxford scholar who died in 1991.

Still, no matter who wrote the words, there’s a powerful message there.

In alcoholic and dysfunctional families, there is often a negative loop that runs through our heads. Self-defeating thoughts such as “we’re not good enough,” or “we don’t deserve love and happiness.”

Psychologists have coined the term learned helplessness to define the condition in which a person who went through a traumatic event feels that they are powerless.

If we think about the quote “we are what we think,” that mindset helps us better understand who we are and how we deal with problems when they arise.

Do you feel powerless when bad things happen to you? Do you feel trapped and can’t find a way out of the problem?

I believe in the importance of building a positive environment around us. I’m not saying that we should cut ourselves off from the world and stick our heads in the sand. No.

Embrace the world and see the possibilities that might not seem achievable right now.

I’ve gone to therapy throughout my life to help me retrain how I reactive to circumstances. If we allow ourselves to feel trapped, then we will remain that way.

Freedom starts from within.

No one grants you freedom.

You have always had freedom if you allow yourself to be free.

People who have been in the most horrible conditions have remained free in their hearts and mind.

What power could we unlock within if we gave ourselves that option each day?

To choose to be free from fear, abuse, anger, hate, and anxiety.

Imagine what opportunities we could embrace if we realized that we truly “are what we think.”

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.