What is going on in the garden of your mind? Is your attention going on weeds or flowers? I am no gardener, dirt and worms are seriously not my thing, but even I know that feeding and cultivating weeds is not the way to get rid of them. So I have to wonder why that is exactly what I do with the negative thoughts and emotions that arise when things aren’t going well in my life.

Most of us would rather clean out cupboards or do a dreaded body detox than tackle some of the less than helpful thoughts racing around our heads and yet that where the solution lies. The other day I caught myself in the act of huffing and puffing at a very incompetent and inconsiderate driver who didn't yield at a yield sign and then had to cheek to look at me funny. I tell you I was outraged!

To back -up a step, I was having an awful week. I had recently heard tragic news of the death of a dear friend and over the next few days, any small thing that went wrong added to the upset I was already feeling. It also explains how I went from calling a fallible, fellow driver names to hating the world in three short steps. Sadly this often happens when we hit a rough patch in life. Without realising it, we feed and water the weeds and end up fanning the flames of our upset into a raging forest fire in our minds.

Facing difficulties is part of life and while in the midst of tragedy or heartache is not the time to start learning to be more positive. We need to start planting the seeds now, in our daily life. Take a look at whether what you are thinking is helping or harming yourself and others. Calming ourselves when we are angry, comforting ourselves when we are sad, being kind when we mess up are all ways of planting seeds of positivity in our minds.

The best bit is that the more beautiful the garden of our mind is, simply being around us brings joy and comfort to those near us. So roll up your sleeves, dig up some dirt and give your thoughts a clean out. By not feeding what isn't helpful, we plant the seeds of a happier world in the garden of our own mind.