Ever Flowing Stream of Thought and Ideas

I am always thinking - no matter what I do, I am always thinking. In fact, some days I would consider it a curse because I can't stop thinking about everything and anything, but mostly I consider it to be a wonderful thing. I think about good things, bad things, weird things, and things that just remind me of other things that send me into a worry streak. Those are a lot of things. Yet, you just can't help but wonder - where do all these thoughts come from?

A few years ago I was in college taking the Criminal Justice program that this particular campus provided and found myself really enjoying its Psychology course. One of the first things we began to study was the mind. We studied theories by such people as Wilhelm Wundt and Sigmund Freud, and by others who have added their insights and theories on how they believed the mind functions. As time passed and theories examined psychologists either gave their stamp of approval on certain beliefs or crumpled up that piece of paper and attempted the three-pointer shot from desk to the garbage bin. But one theory has stayed with me till this day and I often think of it - the ever flowing stream of thought. William James was a pioneer in the world of psychology and I believe he wrote the first textbook as well titled "The Principles of Psychology." In his textbook he relates the human consciousness to being an ever flowing stream of thought and ideas. I have always loved that theory. Think about it - how many times have you caught yourself thinking about something and then being pulled into different a thought because you related something from within that thought to something else, which then reminded you of another thing, and so on, and so forth? Ok, that was a big sentence, but do you get it?

I remember one instance while working at a hardware a few years ago, where I had been leaning over on the counter with my head in the clouds - thinking of random things. My boss came by and snapped me out of it and asked me what I was doing and so I answered with that I was exploring my stream of thought. He answered by saying "no wonder you never get any work done." But that was unfair! I made a real fine effort to take after his example!

Whenever it's lobster fishing season and I'm out on the boat six days a week, I take advantage of the long monotonous days of repeating the same process of lifting three hundred, seventy pound traps into the boat, and I think the day away. I work with my Father and Grand-father. I don't talk a whole lot while we're working, and that's mostly because I'm thinking about story ideas and the like. Those months are a real good time to get lost in your stream of thought - it helps the day pass by more quickly.

For any writer, having their stream of thought and ideas in constant flow would definitely be a good thing. Because writers depend on their ideas to make anything out of themselves. I've had different people tell me that I have great ideas, and even had one person tell me that I have a great mind, which I think is stretching it a bit much, but a monkey will take a banana any day of the week. Eventually, some people will ask "where do you get your ideas?" I would say mostly from observing things that happen all around me, or listening to people talk, but mainly they just come from within my head. Like I said - I'm always thinking. Here is a link to a fantastic essay, written by my favorite author, Neil Gaiman, who explains that question so well which is asked by many people, titled "Where Do You Get Your Ideas?"

I encourage anyone who has a dream, or has ever had one, of writing, or anything that involves a creative process, to chase after that dream and do not get discouraged and give up. I know that I have given up before on writing because I felt I couldn't compete with all these big name people in the writing world, but have come to realize that if you never take a chance and at least try you will always be plagued with the thought of "what if?" I do not want to grow old wondering if I would have accomplished anything if only I would have tried.

Thanks for reading, and embrace your ever flowing stream of thought and ideas and let your mind soar with possibility!