The way the mind works is very similar to websites or apps with autosuggest functions like YouTube, Netflix or Amazon. The suggestions for what you watch next are just suggestions- you don’t have to click on them- and similarly you don’t have to engage your attention in thoughts or take the actions your mind suggests. It can seem easier though to choose a suggestion rather than search for what we really want in the box at the top.
Action: Searching for what we actually want is worth it: focusing our attention on how we would rather think, feel or act. It might take a few attempts to clarify the right keys words and get it, but then not only do we benefit from the right content, but we are training the system so it is more likely to recommend what we want in future. At first there may be just a few suggestions, but that already means less searching, and over time our mind automatically feeds us thoughts and actions that do match what we want.