Thoughts

I think that Richard means that you need to let your thoughts funnel through a system. Let the good come to you and let the bad stay in a separate section of your mind that you can access when you feel the time is right. When you think positive you will feel better and almost like a cleanse. The good thoughts will make you feel better and stop worrying about what the world has to say about imperfections, time or anything. However when you decide to access the bad thoughts let them come and let them hit hard.
A way that I can take control of my thoughts is to let it say what it want but then tell myself the opposite. So when my thoughts are running and they are all negative push them aside and bring up a happy time that you have had and let it over power my bad thoughts. So next time I feel self conscious about something, I will think about the positives that I have!