In the famous vampire romance saga, The Twilight Series, there is a mind reading vampire, Edward. Edward is the love interest of the protagonist, Bella. Edward can listen to the thoughts of everyone he meets except for Bella’s.

He finds it frustrating that he can’t read her mind. So he asks her, “What are you thinking?” I really love this series and find it intriguing. When I can’t understand the world around me, like Edward, I too feel like asking, “What are you thinking?” At times I feel frustration when I can’t step on someone else’s shoes. Sometimes I think it would be great to listen to people’s thoughts. Wouldn’t that save us a lot of unhappiness? Or, perhaps not!

Our waking hours are constantly swamped with thoughts. We make decisions, pass judgments, reminiscence our past life, and plan for the future all the while constantly filling our minds with thoughts.

You must have read “How to stop worrying and start living.” It is a self-help book about eliminating our worries. In this immensely helpful book, there is a chapter dedicated to our thoughts. This chapter is titled, “Eight words that can transform your life” which expounds on the importance of our thoughts. The author, Dale Carnegie, writes that our thoughts shape us into the kind of person we are. The eight words that can transform your life are: “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” This quote is from Marcus Aurelius who was a renowned Roman philosopher.

The book consistently stresses the fact that our thoughts make our destiny. Happy thoughts create happiness in our lives while sad thoughts make us miserable.

Right thoughts ensure success, happiness and prosperity. Milton discovered the secret to a happy life: “The mind is its own place, and in itself/ Can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven.” The gist is that you are a being who can think. Your thoughts have profound effect on you. Therefore, choose your thoughts wisely. The science of thoughts is complex. David Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow is a book that deals with the science behind our thoughts. David Kahneman is the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics.

In his book, Thinking Fast and Slow, he establishes that there are two systems on work during the thinking process.

The collaborations between these two systems form the basis of our cognitive processes. I understand if you want to take a moment to think this through.