Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of Suffering

Nguyen will provide practical guidelines for applying the principles of the book to daily life, urging his readers to be patient with themselves. He writes: “The fact that you are here means you are already well on your path to peace, and it is inevitable if you stay the course” (126). He begins with “Inner Work,” or ways to train the mind to deal with overthinking. He restates the PAUSE sequence—pause to take a breath, ask if you want to keep suffering, understand that there is a choice, say “thinking is the root cause of suffering” as often as necessary, and experience reality directly (130). 

Nguyen returns to likely objections and obstacles, including the idea that thinking is key to productivity, the belief that nothing can change, and fear of the unknown. Nguyen insists that fear “is an illusion designed to keep us in our comfort zones and nothing more. It is only when we see what is actually happening in our minds that we can let go of it and be free” (133). If one looks at their fear clearly, understanding what exactly they’re afraid of, they can examine just how serious that fear is, and whether it’s possible to let go of that fear. 

The same idea applies to making decisions, which Nguyen sees as a major source of fear. With fear more generally, and decision-making in particular, Nguyen believes that following one’s intuition “will help you feel the way you want and create the life you desire” (137). With respect to destructive habits, Nguyen asks the reader to undergo a similar process of self-reflection, examining why they want to perform an action, what they think they get from it, what they think will happen if they stop, and imagining what it would be like to let go. Nguyen returns to the idea of an activation ritual as a means of getting the reader on the right path for the day, to think about making small changes in their routine to start the day on the most peaceful note possible. 

Nguyen turns to “Outer Work” (141), or ways to interact with the world. He urges the reader to create the calmest environment possible. They should keep a journal of practices that work and don’t work, such as looking at how food, sleep, and exercise affect mental health, as well as the physical environment and time spent on digital devices. He asks the reader to rank which factors cause the most stress, try to find ways to minimize how things can trigger the reader, and keep a journal recording successes and limitations. He then turns to goals of inspiration, asking readers to think about what they would do if anything were possible, what they value, and “what have you always wanted to do but haven’t had time or are afraid to do?” (147). Goals need not be large-scale or ambitious, as the feelings they produce are the most important consideration. Goals can involve money, but shouldn’t be all about money. 

Nguyen recommends journaling as a way to track progress, using mornings to outline intentions for the day and evenings to reflect on how well the plan for that day went. Journaling can focus on questions such as “how much did I follow my intuition today?” and “how well did I manage my energy today?” (154). The answers to these questions will help clarify patterns and point to overall progress. 

Nguyen closes by re-using some of the visuals featured throughout the book, including the PAUSE method and the comparisons between thoughts and thinking.