Let the Clouds Float By
If you have ever tried meditation, you might have been guided with the visual instruction to let your thoughts float by like clouds.
This concept arose in a recent coaching session and reminded me how powerful it is on the road to personal mastery.
Conceptualizing our thoughts to be like clouds floating by in the sky can do a few things for us.
1. It helps us observe our own thoughts. In the metaphor, we are ‘down here’ on the ground looking up, and the thought is 'up there' in the sky. Just like pointing to clouds and describing their shapes, we can point to our thoughts and notice their qualities. Some separation is created.
2. Building on the idea of observing thoughts is the idea that, if you are observing your thoughts, you are less likely to over-identify with them. Said more plainly, you won't automatically believe the thoughts to be objective reality. This is the beginning of becoming free from the shackles of your personality.
Some thoughts are rational and objective, but many are not. Learning to “watch” your thoughts the same way you watch clouds in the sky is the beginning of creating some distance between your true self and the stories you tell yourself.
Seeing your thoughts as 'up there' frees you to think critically about your own thinking. You can learn to say to yourself, "Huh, it's interesting that that is where my mind just went. I wonder why."
The client I mentioned was in "victim mentality" demonstrated with a "WHY ME!?" narrative Their thought was, "Why do I have to delay my personal goals just because work is busy?"
Noticing this thought and recognizing its tenor helped this client shift to a more helpful thought process that looked something like: “While it’s disappointing that this goal will need to get shifted for my work obligations, it’s the right trade-off for me to make.” They were now in an empowered, at-choice mindset.
Some other examples of unproductive thoughts you might recognize:
What did I do to deserve this?
Why are they always so ________?
I can't do this.
I do not want to have that conversation.
I am the best.
3. The thoughts are transient. They can go as easily as they came. We don’t have to latch onto them, and they won’t stay with us forever even if they’re troubling us now.
To continue the cloud metaphor, if you automatically buy into and get attached to unhelpful thinking, it's like you're inside of the cloud. And what does that do? It clouds your thinking and your seeing.
Start small to change your relationship with your own thinking. Look up, point, and say 'Oh, isn't that interesting.'
