You become what you think
“Change your thoughts and you can change your world.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
Have you ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat?” Growing up I heard this from my parents, teachers, advertisements on television, radio and magazines. There was an abundance of guidance on what was healthy to eat and drink. The world was encouraged to consume recommended servings of vegetables, milk, dairy, and avoid sugary snacks. Likewise, balance every meal with the suggested amount of protein, fruit and vegetables.
The message was clear, and everyone understood. There was much emphasis on how and why we needed a healthy body. The phrase “You are what you eat,” became ingrained in popular culture. Sadly, barely anything was taught about the need for a healthy mind. I wonder what the impact would be if we were taught with the same intensity, “You are what you think.”
What we think, feel and imagine matters. Good or bad, what we attract into our life is the result of our emotional state. Most of us were never taught the importance of identifying and controlling our thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are things. They are real and are the foundation of our actions and behaviors. By recognizing our thoughts, we become successful at mastering our emotional state. Many of us were taught from an early age to suppress our thoughts. We learned how to keep in line with social norms and rules. The problem is thoughts connected with experiences cannot be thrown in the trash like a crumpled-up paper. Everything we experience gets stored in our subconscious mind and runs free in the background unnoticed. It’s called a memory.
Your mind works like a computer. There are desktop programs which you can see, click on, open and run. This is equivalent to the conscious mind. Then there are operating system programs that run in the background. These programs work behind the scenes keeping your computer running. They are responsible for communicating to every component of your system. The subconscious mind works in a similar fashion. The more you understand these systems the greater you can defend against any virus that attacks it. The deeper your knowledge of these unseen programs the greater you can protect against malicious threats, breaches and bad actors.
Negative thoughts, limiting beliefs and a poor self-image are Bad Actors. They work internally, lingering in the background of the subconscious mind. They can remain hidden and undetected for years, influencing every aspect of your life and personality. This may sound like an impossible battle, but the good news, you can win. Science has proven you can learn how to be intentional with your thoughts. It is possible to delete bad and harmful ones. It is like uploading an anti-virus program to your computer.
Dismissing the value of positive thoughts, feelings and imagination causes a missed opportunity to access the joy and wealth Life has to offer. Not dealing with negative thinking and beliefs is like allowing a cancer to fester and spread. There is a cure and all it takes is for you to be vigilant in guarding your mind from thoughts that do not serve your higher purpose.
Practicing positive thinking has great rewards and benefits. Imagine being in control of all your experiences, believing anything is possible. Imagine having the courage to dream and taking action to achieve your goals. Reaching your potential depends on what takes place within you. The scriptures say, “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” You are what you think. Thoughts create your world. You become your thoughts. Pay attention to them so that you can break free from all self-imposed limitations. Once you gain awareness, you can reshape your thinking for a better and more fulfilling life.
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