A Simple Step-By-Step Process to Change Your Thought Patterns

Have you ever been in a conversation where you misunderstood your counterpart?

You got angry or annoyed — until you later learned the real intent.

Your mind drew the wrong conclusion based on what you perceived, even though it wasn’t true. In reality, there was a more accurate interpretation.

This happens all the time — even with conversations going on inside your own head.

Your Brain: The Interpretation Machine

Your mind is constantly interpreting and making patterns as you experience the world.

Most times, there’s not enough information to create an accurate pattern. When this is true, your brain relies on prior information to interpret, predict and fill in those gaps.

These snap interpretations often lead us astray.

But — these interpretations are not set in stone. They can be altered to be more useful.

Reinterpretation

It’s important to realize that we have more freedom in our interpretations than we often think.

When we jump to conclusions, it can feel like there’s no evidence to the contrary. But if you go looking for it, you’ll often find that there is.

And if we do, we have the power to reinterpret past events.

In turn, this can help you fundamentally change your beliefs about yourself and what you’re capable of.

We have this ability to reinterpret because of the fundamental impermanence of our memory. You cannot click “save” on a given memory and have it stored in its original condition. Every time we recall a memory, it alters slightly.

By reinterpreting your memories and thought patterns, you can update your beliefs into ones that serve you.

The Process

In the book Re-Create Your Life, Morty Lefkoe outlines a process to reinterpret past events in a simple and useful way.

Let’s see how to do it in practice:

Identify an Undesirable Pattern

Start out by identifying a mental pattern you regress to on a regular basis. Pick one you find undesirable and would like to change.

Name the Underlying Belief

Identify the belief underlying this pattern. Verbalize the implied belief. What do you believe about yourself or the situation that supports this thought pattern?

Identify the Source of the Belief in Memory

Find the source for that belief in your memory. Include as much sensory detail as possible.

Alternative Interpretation

Describe possible alternative interpretations of the memory. Use your mental flexibility. Are there other ways to interpret that memory — ways that serve you better?

Change Your Original Belief

Realize that your original belief is merely an interpretation — not reality. You can see multiple valid interpretations of what occurred.

You’ve previously chosen the limiting interpretation as “true”. But you can just as easily choose differently. Choose the interpretation that serves you.

Consciously choose to reject the original belief as “false”.

Consciously choose to accept your reinterpretation as “true”.

Change Your Mindset

Due to our negativity bias, we often default to self-defeating interpretations.

Recognizing this fact, and consciously exploring alternative interpretations can change how you operate in the world.

With time and practice, you can deliberately cultivate a new and better mindset.

Use your mental agility. Reinterpret your past to enable yourself to make great things happen in the present and in your future. All it takes is a little imagination.

Your beliefs influence how you see the world and how you react to everything around you. And you have far more control over what you believe than you may think.

Your mental loops are retrainable.

You can use the pattern described above to overcome your fears and anxieties. You can reconsider and forgive your past mistakes. And you can open your mind to new possibilities you’ve never considered before.

For more like this...

If you enjoyed this thought exercise and would like to find others like it, you should check out TemplatesForThinking.com.

There you’ll find a range of writing exercises that’ll help you personalize the best ideas in the world of mind hacking, business, and self-development.

By writing and ‘thinking on paper’, you’ll make these insights personal and actionable.

You’ll activate your own mind, instead of just passively reading information.

Check it out today — and the best part: it’s free to try out!

Bonus tip;

Listen to Andrew Huberman’s conversation with Dr. Alia Crum, the leading scientist on how mindsets affect our health and performance. She provides scientific underpinnings to the ideas discussed above.