You don’t have to act on every thought you have or emotion you feel.

Let me swing a little harder… acting on every thought you have or emotion you feel is not wise, respectable, helpful, or your right to do without consequence.

What you can do with every single thought you have or emotion you feel is hold it up for inspection to determine its validity, relevance, and usefulness.

When you examine your thoughts it is helpful to ask the 6 core questions of sound critical thinking: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Of course there is a wide variety of variants for each of these questions so I’ll share some of my favorites.

Who

Whose thought am I thinking? Who does this thought pertain to? Who Benefits from it and who loses because of it?

What 

What is the purpose of this thought? What does it help me do? What does it keep me from doing? What could happen if I believed this thought? What could happen if I reject this thought?

Where 

Where did this thought come from? Where might it be taking me? Where is it helping my life? Where is harming my life?

When

When did I first think this thought? When does this thought matter to me and to others?

Why

Why am I thinking this thought?  Why does it matter?

How

How does this thought help me? How does this thought harm me? How does it affect others?

We can use the same tool to explore our emotions.

Who 

Who is affected by this emotion? Who triggered or cued this emotion?

What

What is this emotion doing for me? What is it doing to me?

Where 

Where did this emotion come from? Where is it taking me? Where is it helping me? Where is it limiting me?

When

When did I start feeling this emotion? When does this emotion matter to me and to others?

Why 

Why am I feeling this emotion? Why does this emotion matter?

How 

Does this emotion help me? How does this emotion harm me? How does it affect others?

Do you think asking these questions about your thoughts and emotions  is too hard or time consuming? Does this make you feel frustrated or overwhelmed? Maybe you think this is a great idea and it makes you feel invigorated to read it. 

Either way, I would challenge you to take the thoughts and feelings that this morning reflection prompted in you and go hold them up for examination as an exercise in personal exploration.