Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts … our minds race from thought to thought, whether we want it to or not! The mind is indeed an amazing work of art.

There are many types of thought: conscious, unconscious, automatic, habitual, disciplined, sensitive, reasoned, logical, and sometimes simply scattered.

But what do we think about? Are our thoughts ones which encourage us to act positively, to look forward with eager anticipation of the joys ahead, and even to embrace the challenges of life as positive learning steps. Or do our thoughts hedge us in with fears of the future, fears of failure, and an expectation that life will turn out as we expected – difficult, scary and doomed?

Interesting piece of useless information: the same word in Chinese is used for problem and opportunity. Of course, they are very different slants on the same thing, but you can see the common ground.

Of course most of us find ourselves somewhere in between on most days, swinging to the extremes at times of stress or exhilaration. But it is true to say that - how we think about ourselves is fundamental to how we view our lives and make our life choices.

This has been true throughout human history: An ancient writer in about 960 BC said “As a man thinks in his heart, so he is”, equally true for women of course. We tend to become like what we think about and focus on.

Our thoughts will affect our feelings which often will affect our life choices.

Our thoughts will define our attitudes and our attitudes will determine our altitude.

For example, if we feel like a failure, our actions will encourage and anticipate failure. We will attempt little that is new and challenging, and it can even leave us open to others treating us badly as they reflect the poor opinion we have of ourselves.

Another example: if we think we are ugly or unworthy, there may be a tendency to neglect personal appearance, to ‘hide’ behind a drab exterior, and to avoid situations which may put us in the spotlight, however small that might be. Self confidence and self esteem will probably be very low so life choices will be ones which are often dictated by others, be un-stimulating and well below our potential.

But life doesn’t have to be this way and what better time then at the beginning of a New Year to consider how you think and make plans for change.

Whether we can identify with the examples cited, or with merely an element of them, we can change the way we think and the knock on effect is that we will feel better about ourselves and our lives, have increased self confidence and be in a better place to make positive life choices.

Changing from negative to positive thinking isn't always easy, especially if you have a difficult time with change. For some, it's a life-long struggle. Do you know what most people's number one challenge is when it comes to making positive personal changes? It's their feelings. They want to change, but they don't know how to get past their emotions. But there is a way to do it. Take a look at the truth contained in the following syllogism:

If you are willing to change your thinking, you can change your feelings. If you change your feelings, you can change your actions. And changing your actions - based on good thinking - can change your life.
John Maxwell

So what are you waiting for? What better time to make positive change in your life?