I wonder how many negative thoughts, societal norms, and ideas I have digested that have slowly poisoned me. Over the past seven years, and a little before that, I really started to notice how some of my ways of thinking about certain things were just plain wrong. They were also likely some of the main reasons why I was struggling to move forward in particular areas. So, I slowly started to renew my mind and form a stronger foundation of principles and ideas that I could confidently stand on and live by. At times, freeing myself of these thoughts was not easy, but I knew it was something I had to do in order to truly live both mentally and emotionally free.

The other day I saw three of the smallest ants I have ever seen crawling around my bathroom floor. Sorry to all the ant lovers, but I killed them by spraying bleach on them. I’m so sorry! Then, another five came along. After a few days, I refused to deal with such invasive creatures probably staring at me while I showered, so I purchased some ant bait from the hardware store and was shocked by what happened next. After ten minutes of putting the bait down, TONS of ants came out of what seemed like nowhere (well, it was from the crack in the wall leading to the ant world)! Unbeknownst to the little creatures, they were running toward the juicy poison that would kill their entire community. You see, the bait is designed to allow the ants to live long enough to transport it back to the ant farm where the ants will eventually eat it and die.

Fascinated, I started to wonder about all the innocent ants waiting inside for the yummy food who would never see and know what killed them. Then, I started to recall all the poisonous mental food that my family, friends, peers, and society have unintentionally brought back to me throughout the years. Think about all the poison we have ignorantly and intentionally eaten from society and other people. In most cases, people really do believe their opinions are right, so when they share them with you they are often not willfully trying to poison you. However, it happens anyway. It is like a contagious illness that a person cannot help but give to you. It simply transfers without your knowledge. It is not until you begin feeling the symptoms of the illness that you realize you have somehow been infected.

Whether intentional or not, this little experience reminded me of the importance of guarding my mind, and periodically checking through my mental inventory to see if cleansing is in order. 

Protect your mind because poisonous thoughts eventually lead to a life that feels dead.