Chapter 7: The Courage to Stop Negative Thinking and Gossip
CHOOSING PRESENCE PP. 78-83
Differentiate between intellectual understanding and the active practice of presence in combating negative thinking.
Summary
This section highlights that just knowing about presence isn’t enough—you have to actually practice it. Real change doesn’t come from reading or thinking about stillness; it comes from doing it consistently. The more you make presence a daily habit, the more you’ll experience a real shift in your mindset and life.
“You’re looking for an answer but it’s not an answer; it’s an action.”
— Choosing Presence, p. 78
A Moment for Reflection
Pause for a moment and reflect on the following three questions:
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This question encourages you to reflect on whether overthinking has been a barrier to real change in your life.
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This helps you identify practical ways to incorporate presence into your routine instead of just thinking about it.
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This invites self-awareness around any inner obstacles that keep you from fully committing to presence.
Deepening the Practice: Journal Prompt
It’s easy to believe that if we just think enough, reflect enough, or learn enough, we’ll find the peace we’re looking for. But Choosing Presence reminds us that real change doesn’t come from thinking—it comes from doing. Presence isn’t something we figure out; it’s something we experience. The more we practice stillness and awareness in our daily lives, the more we shift from being stuck in our thoughts to actually living in the present moment.
Think of an area in your life where you’ve been searching for answers but haven’t taken consistent action. What holds you back from moving beyond thought and into practice? If you committed to even one small daily action—whether it’s pausing to breathe, sitting in stillness, or observing your thoughts without judgment—how might that shift your experience? Write about what it would feel like to move from thinking about presence to actively practicing it.