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: