BARB ADAMS LIVE is no longer being aired on the Genesis Communications Radio Network.

Seeking to continue the mission I began on air of creating a more informed public and inspiring thought-provoking conversations, I will be posting a variety of articles and opinion pieces here on the front page. Comments are welcome barbadams@barbadamslive.com.

Thoughts for Thought

Barb Adams

If you understood how powerful your thoughts are, you’d probably never think a negative thought again. Better yet, you’d choose your thoughts and words wisely, knowing you’re not only creating your own life, you’re helping to create the world we all live in.

Most would agree the world, the climate, our country and its politics, our economy, the handling of the pandemic and gun violence, and just about everything else is “messed up” these days. So if we accept our share of responsibility for creating our lives and the world we live in, then there seems to be a lot of “messed up” thoughts occurring. But how did we get here and how can we change the narrative for the better?  Here are some Thoughts for Thought:

Everyday we’re bombarded 24/7 with a never-ending supply of negative and sensational stories in the media. It is, after all, the business of news to capture our attention while increasing ratings and revenue. These stories can and often do distort our perception of ourselves and the world around us, influencing our thoughts. So what does it mean? If you want to live in a world that is in turmoil and a terrible place, then thoughtlessly watch the news and surf the web. But if you want to remember how incredible life and this planet are and seek to change this country and the world for the better, then think about what you’re putting into your mind and watch your own thoughts and words!

Humans have about 6,000 thoughts per day and many of those are negative due to inherent negativity bias. This negativity bias results in adverse events having a more significant impact than positive events. In other words, we feel negative events and words more intensely than positive ones. Because negativity bias significantly impacts how we make decisions, motivate ourselves and others, and interact with one another, then negative thoughts, words and actions influence us much more strongly than positive ones.

Negative scare tactics and harsh words resound more deeply than feel-good phrases and actions. Throughout history and in our current political climate, we find many examples of those who claim power by attempting to control the narrative “out there.”  In so doing, they also seek to control the narrative within our minds and  thoughts  for their own gains. Repeated lies, scare tactics, conspiracy theories—all forms of gaslighting, which when performed over an extended period of time, cause you to question your own thoughts, judgment, memories, and perception of reality.

We owe it to ourselves, this country, and the world to change the narrative for the greater good of all, because if we do not, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the outcomes.