Like radio waves, thoughts are transmitted at different frequencies. You, the thinker, determine your own frequency, based on awareness and intentions.

These thoughts are then picked up by a receiver – someone who is tuned into the same frequency.

If you’re transmitting at 95.1 FM and people around you tune into 610 AM, you aren’t on the same frequency.

For example, imagine that the people transmitting at 610 AM focus their thoughts on what’s missing, what doesn’t work and who’s wrong – and then defend their negative thoughts with excuses.

The folks transmitting at 95.1 FM have chosen a higher frequency, recognizing that fine-tuned, optimistic thoughts of cooperation and in-depth programming help them feel energized and inspired.

Thoughts are energy

It’s important to understand what this means. Everything in the universe is energy, science says – and that includes your thoughts. Thoughts drive your actions, emotions and general well-being. Start paying attention to them.

Consider two ordinary people. One wakes up thinking, "Wow! I’m alive. Yahoo! What a beautiful morning."

The other thinks, "Damn, if today is as bad as yesterday, I might as well stay in bed."

Notice the difference in the energy of these thoughts? One is uplifting and enthusiastic, the other, critical and energy depleting.

As John Lennon said, "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." And, Einstein pointed out, we can’t solve any problem from the same consciousness that created it.

The message: We need to raise our thinking to a new level and learn to see the world anew.

Twisting the dial

How do we learn to elevate our mental frequency?

Begin by using your imagination and direct your mind toward thoughts that fill you with a sense of well-being.

Look closely at who you spend time with. That’s a good indicator of your mental frequency.

If you’re listening to lots of complaining, explaining and excuses at lunchtime, consider the power of those thoughts. Dial to a higher frequency by lunching with different people and notice if your experience improves.

Television is another steady stream of mental frequencies that you allow to invade your life unthinkingly. Television bombards you with the negativity of nightly news – its words and images constantly repeated on every major channel. How does this impact you?

Hooked on bad news

When a friend visited recently, she reminded me of the impact of the nightly news. She was surprised to find that I don’t subscribe to cable and haven’t for nine years.

The first night, she was shocked by experiencing withdrawals from the barrage of negative news. She had no idea she had become hooked on "bad news."

By the fourth evening, she was feeling relieved and calm – enjoying the absence of being assaulted by TV news. She felt less anxious and fearful, which she attributed to being free from the negativity.

Returning home, she canceled her cable service and reports that her general disposition and view of life have improved radically. She’s much happier, which mirrors my experience of giving up television.

Let’s get physical

Have you noticed that if you expose yourself to negative thinking on a regular basis, it depletes your energy?

Nip those negative thoughts in the bud. When a negative thought arises, notice it and let it go. If streams of negative thoughts start to eddy and whirl round and round in your mind, it’s time to take action. Get up and do something physical – sweep the floor, dance or chop wood.

Physical activity strengthens your immunity against invading negativity, especially with the addition of an affirmation, a positive thought.

Tune in, turn on

Take your mental frequency even higher by using your thoughts to connect to something greater than the thought itself.

Stepping out of the stream of thought changes the thought’s frequency – you are no longer caught up in negative debris. Raising your mental frequency affords you the opportunity to focus on your interconnectedness with all of life.

Realizing that you are part of a global community, now is the perfect time to direct your awareness to a higher mental frequency. Imagine a world without weapons, without wars, without hunger. Imagine sustainable farmland, health care and education through cooperation, gentleness and respect.

Ruth Marcus, M.A., Ph.D., offers life coaching for choice and change.

For more, information, visit www.DrRuthMarcus.com.