Can you tell your thoughts apart from what Elfie whispers in your ear? 

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Or has Elfie been mimicking your thoughts and has got you fooled?

 

Maybe Elfie has you believing that his or her thoughts are your thoughts. 

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Do you ever notice thoughts like these?

 

“I am so stupid.”

“Don’t ask for that. You’ll just be rejected.”

“What’s the use anyway?”

“It’s just too difficult to do.”
"I'm lazy."

"I'm selfish."

“Life is just so hard.”

“You shouldn't upset them.”

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Or how about these?

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"How could she say that to me!"

"I do everything for him and there's no gratitude."

"People are just too greedy."

"Nobody cares."

"He doesn't really love me."

"You've got to be careful with people."

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How often are you fooled into believing that these are your thoughts?

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No choice

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Did you have any choice about thinking those thoughts? No.

 

Those thoughts were completely automatic. You had no immediate or direct control over them. How could you even say that they're your thoughts, just because they appeared to emanate from inside of you?

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Introducing Elfie

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Those thoughts were spoken by Elfie, who sits just inside your right ear and is able to make his or her voice sound just like your thoughts.

 

Consider the idea that Elfie loves to fool you into thinking that what he or she speaks to you are your thoughts and you must pay attention to these thoughts, without questioning their validity or helpfulness. Such a prankster! Elfie's got you fooled, right?!

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A new practice

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Start to question each of your thoughts. "Is that thought true? Is that thought helpful?" 

 

If the answer is "no," it's most likely Elfie.

 

Say back to Elfie (silently is best if you’re around other people),

 

“Thank you for expressing your opinion, Elfie. I've got other ideas."

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If you will practice listening to and speaking to Elfie in this way, I promise you that the thoughts he or she speaks to you will begin to lose their power, step by step, each and every day, until they become whispers from a long, long time ago.

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