“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.” -Buddha (563 – 483 B.C.)
Today I’m giving you all some food for thought.
Are any of us truly aware of the power of our words? Do we ever really see how our words, actions or thoughts affect ourselves and those around us?
And if we have seen them, would we be more likely to change those words the next time we think to utter them again?
I would like to say that we have more control over what we say or do to others rather than the thoughts that we have inside our own minds. The internal monologue that exists inside our heads is a constantly flowing river of ideas, questions, criticisms and thoughts.
If we censor our words for the sake of someone else, then who is it that censors our own thoughts for ourselves?
Consider this, a co-worker walks in with a brand new pair of pants on and they look terrible. You can’t even lie; they are just awful.
How many of you would offer your uncensored opinion to your co-worker when they ask you what you think?
I would.
I would tell them the truth, but I wouldn’t be brutally honest.
How could I?
I couldn’t hurt their feelings. It would just be too cruel.
However, take the same concept and apply it back to yourself.
You put on your new pants and look in the mirror. Does your mind break the news to you gently or are you cruel and insensitive?
Just as our words and actions can hurt or heal another, they can also do the same to us.
It is a rare person who can honestly say that they praise themselves on a regular basis.
“I am a good person.” “I am valuable at work.” “My family truly appreciates all the hard work I put in to give them a good life.”
How many times have you heard yourself say that about you?
Or is it more likely to be, “I look so fat in this dress.” “How could I ever get a promotion at work, I have no idea what I’m doing.” “Why do I even bother? My kids don’t appreciate me and I don’t even know the last time my wife said ‘Thank you’ to me. What’s the point?”
The difference is clear. We are capable of praising others but we beat ourselves up.
Now consider this.
“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” -Ella Wheeler Wilcox
If we take that same energy, that same negativity and replace it with loving thoughts, imagine what it is that we could all accomplish individually.
And if we put all those positive thoughts together, imagine what we as a society can accomplish.
Last fall I signed up for a daily quotation newsletter at www.tut.com. The main reason that I even agreed to have my inbox bombarded five days a week is simple. Their motto got me.
“Thoughts become things. Choose the good ones!”
If we can think, we can change.
If we can choose to think positive, loving thoughts about ourselves, we can change the course of our lives. We can have a fulfilling and prosperous career. We can raise happy and productive children. We can find and keep the love that we deserve. We can do anything if, and only if, we can dare to think it first.
If you take anything away with you, take this. If we can think ourselves happy and successful, could we also think ourselves healthy? Who will recover faster from an illness, a person who can think positively or a person who can’t help but think of the worst all the time?
What do you think?
