The mind is very much like a nest — our thoughts, the birds. If we are wise, we offer sanctuary only to the birds that are bright, colourful and possess the capacity for beautiful song — for they will uplift us the most.

Sri Chinmoy offers some practical advice for nurturing the good thoughts and discarding the bad.

You can begin by having good thoughts: “I want to be good. I want to be more spiritual. I want to love God more, I want to exist only for Him.” Let these ideas grow within you. Start with one or two divine ideas: “Today I will be absolutely pure. I will not allow any bad thought but only peace to enter into me. When you allow one divine thought to grow inside you, you will see that immediately your consciousness changes for the better. The best thing is to identify with your Master’s consciousness, but if you find that difficult then start with divine ideas: “Today I want to feel that I am really a child of God.” This is not a mere feeling, but an actual reality. Feel that the Virgin Mary is holding the child Christ. Feel that the Divine Mother is holding you in her arms like a baby. Then feel: “I really want to have Wisdom-Light. I want to walk with my Father. Wherever He goes I will go with Him. I will get Light from Him.” (Source)

At every moment we are assailed by bad thoughts or we are inspired by good thoughts. Each thought can act like an atom bomb in our life. When we are assailed by a bad thought, we will try to discard it. When we are assailed by a good thought, we will try to develop and enlarge it. When we start meditating early in the morning, if one good thought comes, let us enlarge it. Let us say it is a thought of divine love‚ not the human, emotional love but divine, universal love: “I love God, I love God’s entire creation.” Love can be our ideal, love can be our ultimate Goal. So if it is divine love, universal love, transcendental Love, then we are dealing with the Goal itself.

Good people
Know that good thoughts
Are essential.
– Sri Chinmoy