There is so much advice available for those of us who want to make changes in our lives. Who do we listen to? What do we read? What is the secret? All we know is that we have to change something cause what we are doing presently and what we have done in the past isn’t and hasn’t been working. Someone said:
If you continue to think what you’ve always thought,
You’ll always get what you’ve always got!
It’s obvious we need to change our thinking. The thoughts upon which we continually dwell manifest themselves in who we are and how well we accomplish the goals we have for ourselves. Our thoughts, like anything, can become ingrained and habitual if we think them often enough. Aristotle said, “Man is what he continually does… success therefore is not a single act but a habit.” He could have gone one step further and applied the same rule to failure. We are what we continually do - good or bad.
We can’t go to the gym once and get in shape. We need to do it continually until it is every bit a part of our daily lives as combing our hair. If our success is tied to our thoughts then how we think continually is going to determine ultimately our success. Thinking is what we do best. In the early 17 century the French philosopher Rene’ Descartes said “Cogito ergo sum…I think, therefore I am.” He said it in Latin instead of his native French because Latin was the language of science in Europe (If you get nothing else from this post, at least you picked up a little Latin!). Our thoughts control who and what we are. The bible even says, “As a man thinketh, so is he.” OK, that’s enough credibility.
We can’t get away from it so we might as well think positive. It takes no more energy to put a positive spin on events than to look at the doom and gloom side of things. The Universal Law of Attraction has been around forever and it also mandates that we manifest those things and events that we think on most. There is that continual thought thing again.
What we think controls how we feel and act. If we think the “glass is half empty,” we are sure to feel discouraged and immobilized. Rational and practical thoughts lead to good feelings and positive action. Consequently, avoid thoughts like, “Getting laid off is just terrible,” or “If I don’t succeed at work, I’m a failure.” Instead, we want to think realistic thoughts like, “I can affect what happens in my working and personal life,” “I am worthy as a person, regardless of my achievements at work,”
Constructive thoughts can free you of negative moods and empower you to take charge of your life. Studies have found that optimism is associated with many positive health benefits, such as shielding people from heart attack and strokes. Our mind’s thoughts can even be a matter of life and death! We have all heard stories of the devoted spouse who, after losing his/her mate after many years of marriage, dies shortly thereafter. The doctor raises his hands and says, “They just lost their will to live.” On the other hand witness the terminal patient given the most bleak outlook by his physician who fights back to not only survive but live many more productive years. The doctor says, “He had a strong will to live.” Wouldn’t you think if our minds can affect whether we live or die that they could also have something to do with our day to day success in the meantime? Think about it!!
