Valerie Mason-John: We Are What We Think at TEDxRenfrewCollingwood (Transcript)

Vimalasara Mason-John

Here is the full transcript of the author of Borrowed Body, Valerie Mason-John’s TEDx Talk: We Are What We Think at TEDxRenfrewCollingwood Conference.

Listen to the MP3 Audio here: We are what we think by Valerie Mason-John at TEDxRenfrewCollingwood

TRANSCRIPT:

A couple of years ago, a friend said to me, ‘Your life is a miracle.’ I said, ‘A miracle?’ Well, you know, you tend to think of your childhood as normal well until you talk to some of your friends. Anyway, miracle or not, I’ve dedicated my life to working with people.

One day I woke up in my bed and I thought, ‘Wow! Forget about drugs, alcohol, food, sex or rock and roll. My biggest addiction is, guess what, yet my thinking. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about — those thoughts that tell us we’re not good enough, thoughts that have been haunting us for years. I call this my stinking thinking.

Just imagine if people could hear that stink, well, here is a censored version of mine.

My stink says I need an electric shock, I took stock.

My shrink says, all Negroes are manic, I didn’t panic.

My stink says I need a rest, I felled its test.