Today’s topic is probably one of the things that scares people the most when I talk about thought – especially when I so provocatively say: “It’s all just thought.” But it’s right here, when we begin to glimpse what that actually means, that something truly profound can shift within us. The difference between seeing that you are thinking, and being caught up in what you are thinking, is enormous. One creates space and clarity - the other keeps you prisoner, traps you, in a reality that exists only in your experience.
And once again, I want to be clear: I'm not here to convince you of anything. I’m simply pointing in a direction we rarely look. What you choose to do with that - whether you question it or not – is entirely up to you. But if you find yourself stuck in overthinking, stress, anxiety, or just feel like you are not enough - or maybe just always have a sense that something is “wrong” with you – this is a wonderful place to begin. Not because you need to become someone else. But because the well-being you long for is already there - it's just temporarily hidden by thought.
Because thought has been with us since we started experiencing the world they feel like a part of us. They feels like us. We believe almost all of our thoughts - except for the ones that are so absurd we immediately see through them. But where is that line? What separates the believable from the unbelievable? Nothing. All thoughts are made of the same thing. All thoughts are just thoughts.
The only reason we don’t see them for what they are is because they don’t announce themselves. It’s not like your mind says, “Hey there! Incoming thought!” Thought just shows up – fully dressed as reality – and disappears again just as quickly. It seems to tell us facts, but it’s entirely shaped by everything we’ve ever learned, experienced, and interpreted up until this moment.
That can be hard to take in. So let’s look at a few concepts that feel so real - real enough to fight over - to got to war over! - that are still, at their core, nothing but thought in disguise.
Take opinions, for example: “I think this” vs. “You think that.” But in the end, both are just thoughts - arising from a mind shaped by a lifetime of experience and filtered perception.
What about impulses? “I need to do, say, buy, stop, or fix this right now.” But that sense of urgency…is also made of thought. It might sound like a command or a warning, but commands and warnings are also made of thought. I’m not saying we should ignore them - some are practical and helpfu, but they still arise in thought. They are still filtered, shaped, and interpreted by the mind.
And speaking of interpretation... that’s thought too.
Perspectives? Thought.
Beliefs? Just thoughts we’ve come to trust as true. Thoughts we’ve become convinced of.
Think of how much weight we give to decision-making. We treat decisions as if we can predict the future. But a decision is essentially a guess - some more informed than others - but still a guess made of thought. And really, once a decision is made, we can never really know whether it was right or wrong - because we can never know what would have happened if we’d chosen differently.
Judgments and comparisons feel so solid - like we’ve landed on some objective truth. But what feels like “the right way” is entirely shaped by our perception… which, of course, is also thought, conditioned by everything we've lived through.
Assumptions are made completely of thought - and they cause more suffering than almost anything else. We assume we know what others are thinking. We assume we know how things will turn out. We assume we know how someone will react, what they’ll do or say. And then we’re surprised when things go differently - when what actually happens doesn’t resemble our mental script at all.
We’re so quick to treat a thought as truth… and then shocked when reality doesn’t follow the storyline we imagined.
Why does it matter to see that all of this is made of thought? Because we stop taking everything so personally. We become less caught up in our reactions, our so-called 'truths' – and especially in how we defend ourselves and things. We see a deeper understanding, compassion, not just for others, but for ourselves. When we see that opinions, emotions, and reactions are simply thoughts passing through a conditioned mind, something fundamental shifts. Life becomes lighter. Relationships deepen. And we begin to see the world with clearer eyes – beyond old interpretations. We meet life from somewhere deeper than our usual thoughts. We begin to live more from the heart than from the head.
In other words: We begin to be with what is - not in the story we’ve learned or believe it to be.
The same mechanism that creates our memories of the past, our plans for the day, and our fears of the future? Thought.
Same projector – different costume.
And we don’t notice, because we believe we are our thoughts.
Some thoughts come loud and harsh – like judgments or comparisons.
Some come disguised as noble or righteous: morality, pride, honor, ethics, ideals.
Some arrive quietly – as dreams or memories.
Some come terrifying – as nightmares, imagined futures, or worst-case scenarios.
All of them feel real.
That’s what makes it so tricky.
We don’t walk around saying, “I’m having a thought that I might not be good enough.”
We just feel not good enough.
We don’t say, “This is just a thought about being judged.”
We say, “They don’t like me. I can feel it.”
We don’t say, “Now I’m imagining a future I know nothing about.”
We say, “It’ll be better once I get a new job.”
But what if all of these – beliefs, comparisons, identities, regrets, fantasies, ideals – what if none of them are you? What if they’re just familiar clouds passing through your blue sky? Habits. What if you don’t need to control them, argue with them, or even change them?
What if you simply saw them for what they are? A momentary flicker of mind.
Not the truth. Not you.
Just a passing appearance in awareness.
And what if true peace doesn’t come from fixing your thinking – but from noticing its nature?From recognizing that you are not the thought, but the space it moves through. The infinite container in which all thought arises…and dissolves again.
Not to dismiss thought. But to see it. And I promise – when we start to see this, life changes.
So what’s one thought today that felt especially real, true, or urgent?
Try sitting with it – just for a moment – as if it were just a sound passing through.
Maybe, if you like, try catching yourself when something provokes a strong reaction this week – pause mid-email, mid-judgment, mid-impulse – and gently whisper to yourself: “What if this is just a thought?”
Much love,
Suzanne 🕊️
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