Introduction
Don’t Believe Everything You Think , written by Joseph Nguyen, is a self-help book that explains how our patterns of thinking, especially continuous or excessive thinking, can create suffering. In this article, we will share an honest review of Don’t Believe Everything You Think and highlight the key points from the book. The book is structured into 17 chapters across 164 pages. Joseph Nguyen is a well-known Vietnamese-American author, writer, speaker, and teacher.
Key points of the book
- Optional Second Arrow: Anytime we experience a negative event in our lives, two arrows fly our way: the first is physical pain, and the second is emotional suffering. We cannot always control the first arrow (others’ actions), but the second arrow (our reaction) is optional.
- Root Cause of Suffering: The root cause of all suffering is thinking. Thoughts are natural and positive, helping us move forward in life. However, thinking is negative and create trouble for us. Thoughts create, whereas thinking destroys. Thinking consumes a significant amount of energy, effort, and willpower. True happiness begins the moment we stop thinking.
- Thinking: Thinking is the act of engaging with our thoughts. Our natural state of being is joy, love, and peace. Any thinking we do tends to take us away from these natural states. Negative emotions are directly proportional to thinking, while positive emotions are inversely proportional to it. It is not the content of thinking that causes suffering, but the act of thinking itself.
- How to control thinking: It is not possible to completely stop thinking, but we can reduce the amount of time we spend on it so that it gradually becomes smaller each passing day. If we allow our thoughts to sit undisturbed, without trying to filter or force them, they will naturally settle on their own, and our minds will become free from excessive thinking.
- Goals out of Inspiration vs Desperation: There are two sources of goals: those created out of inspiration and those created out of desperation. Goals and dreams that arise as pure thoughts are born from inspiration, while goals and dreams that stem from thinking are born from desperation.
- How to find Goals and Dreams out of Inspiration: Goals and dreams created out of inspiration feel light, energizing, uplifting, and expansive. You will feel that you WANT to do them, rather than feeling that you NEED to or HAVE to. To discover your true goal or dream, ask yourself: “If you had infinite money, had already traveled the world, had no fear, and received no recognition for what you do, what would you choose to do or create?“
- Nothing either good or bad: There is nothing inherently good or bad; it is thinking that makes it so. It is only thinking that gives rise to pleasant or unpleasant feelings. Do not fight with it, welcome it with love, and it will slowly dissipate before your eyes, allowing you to return to your natural state of peace, love, and joy.
- Heart & Intuition: Follow your heart, intuition, gut feeling, inner wisdom, and the Universe/God, and you will begin to witness miracles in your life that you could never have expected or dreamed of. Our role is to hold in our minds what we truly desire and enter a state of non-thinking. This allows us to access Infinite Intelligence (God), so that the answers are revealed to us exactly when we need them. We suffer only when we try to figure everything out on our own, but we don’t have to. Trust your intuition, and it will guide you to exactly what you need.
- Believe: Your intuition always knows what you need to do in the present moment, but the only way to access it is by entering a state of non-thinking. The personal mind may panic because you are stepping into the space of infinite possibilities. However, if you remember that it is only thinking that creates fear, the fearful thoughts will fade away, and the courage you need to act on your intuition will naturally arise. In that moment, you must trust your inner wisdom to guide you through life, even when you don’t know what will happen next. That uncertainty is what makes the journey an adventure, and the joy lies within it.
- Ultimate Truth: The universe is working for you, not against you. Know that everything happens for a reason, and that there are no failures in life, only lessons and opportunities for growth. Your heart, intuition, gut feeling, and inner wisdom will almost always go against your logical, rational mind, so be prepared for that.
Conclusion
Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen is a must-read book for everyone. This book will keep you engaged and is sure to change your thought process. After reading it, you will feel lighter and less stressed. It is a self-help book, and in today’s era, where stress and overthinking are common challenges, it can truly make a difference. You can purchase this book on amazon.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely my own after reading the book. It is not intended to offend anyone. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This article is neither sponsored nor endorsing anyone. The link mentioned here is an affiliate link. If you’re interested in reading this book along with me, buying it through the affiliate link is a great way to support me!
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