Thoughts are things. They are powerful and preemptive. The very thoughts running through your mind can help to manifest the life of your dreams, or draw you closer to your greatest fears. But most people do not realise the inherent power of their thoughts. We go about our lives steeped in one mindset or another, without the clear realisation that whatever it is we think about or focus on consistently, we move towards.“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” — Norman Vincent Peele
Whether or not you believe that statement is rather subjective. The truth of the matter is that we are the product of our thoughts. Think, and you shall become. It is part of the manifestation of our destiny. But not everyone holds to this credo. Not everyone believes in the fervent power of their thoughts. They brush it off while dwelling on the past or fearing the future, not quite understanding that the very things that they are thinking about, they are inching closer towards.
At the very fundamental level, thoughts are purely energy. They move across the synapses in our brains, jumping from one neuron to another, moving from one cluster to the next in lightning-fast speed. It is a near instantaneous process. If you think about moving your hand, as you think it, it happens. There is no lag there. You are not waiting for some CPU to crunch directives. The mind is the most powerful computer in the world at the moment.
That energy moving across the synapses of your neurons, has potential to revolutionise your life. A single thought can spark a flurry of activity. In a moment we can decide and commit to something, anything, that will move us in one path or the next towards our hopes and dreams. Those same thoughts can also fester and marinate in our minds, infecting every emotion and behaviour until it manifests itself into reality.
There is no denying the power of your thoughts and no hiding from something that is so real and exact that it can either be harnessed for good, or leveraged for extreme bad. But what are thoughts exactly? How do they work? Is everything in our lives right now the product of our thoughts? Have we truly manifested whatever reality we might be experiencing at this moment in time?
Understanding Your Thoughts
The human mind is still something that perplexes us. While we have an abundance of information on how it works, we have not quite grasped all of its nuances and complexities. Just how is it that we are experiencing reality? How does consciousness work? Why are we in this body right now and experiencing these things? If you stop for a moment to think about it, the thoughts will daunt you. It is an overwhelming fact, something that we cannot quite wrap our heads around.
To add to that equation, as humans, our bodies are made up of 99.9999% empty space. The atoms in our bodies, at their most finite scales, are simply empty space, held together by electrical charges. On a quantum level, things get even stranger. Those atoms can actually appear in two places at the same time, which is called quantum superposition. Matter exists in a variety of forms and states due to complex quantum wave functions. So, what we are experiencing and feeling is not quite 100% real, so to speak.
I know it all sounds very strange. And we do not need to understand how it all works or get into an indepth discussion about quantum physics to be able to understand that reality is merely a projection of our thoughts on a finite scale. But we do need to be able to leverage it. Since everything is held together by electrical energies, and our thoughts are pure energy, it is easy to see how thoughts, on their most fundamental scale, can permeate everything. On the macro scale, it is harder to appreciate. But think smaller. Think nano-level and beyond.
However, another problem that arises is that the human mind is a computer that has been pre-conditioned. It has some software that is installed at birth in the form of our DNA, but after that, every new experience is another memory logged that might create a variety of functions. As we grow older, those functions turn into habits. But at the very basal level, everything is created by our thoughts and how we perceive things.
We are all unique in our own special little ways, and even identical twins can grow up to become wildly different people. That is because their thoughts evolve differently, permeating their lives in ways that are unique only to them. It is the nature of mankind, and the divine chisel that carves us into who we are. I doubt we will ever understand it all. But for those that can appreciate it and harness the true power of their thoughts, anything is possible.
Living In Fear
Did you know that the human mind processes anywhere between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts in any given day? Obviously, not all of those thoughts are conscious. And, not all of those thoughts are unique. Many of the thoughts are repeated and replayed in our subconscious minds. They stem from our deepest and most darkest fears. These are the what-if scenarios that we cannot seem to escape no matter what we do.
Fear-based thought is one of the most prevalent thoughts that pervade our minds. On the other end of that spectrum are thoughts that are founded on the purity of love, honesty and forgiveness. Yet, not enough of our thoughts are love-based thoughts. Much of them are fear based. The problem with living in a fear-based mindset, is that those fears have a tendency for transmuting themselves into reality.
When you live in fear, not only does it tax you mentally, but also emotionally, spiritually, and of course, physically. Mentally speaking, you spend much of your time dwelling on the what-ifs, and thinking about all those doomsday scenarios. Much of our fear-based thoughts revolve around our finances and relationships, but also extend into our careers, health and other areas of our lives.
Clearly, spending much of your time living in fear also does a number on your emotions. Thoughts produce emotions. Any thought based on fear is going to produce a set of resultant emotions that will develop a foundation for stress and anxiety. When your emotions are taxed, it weighs heavily on your spirit, but also produces stress hormones that negatively affect your physiology. It suppresses your digestive and reproductive systems along with reducing your immune system into shambles.
The power of our fear-based thoughts are abundantly clear. They can ruin us. They can make us head for the ropes and run for the trenches. It is a terrible state-of-mind to have to live in a constant mindset of fear, but countless people from around the globe cannot help but live in that very state. However, if you are serious about achieving your goals or accomplishing anything notable in life, you have to extricate yourself from a mindset of fear.
As difficult as it might feel, we have to gravitate towards love. Fear (and also hate) take a great deal of energy, whereas love is effortless and empowering. The sooner you move from a fear-based mentality to a love-based mentality, the sooner you will feel that cathartic cleansing that comes along with pure and unconditional love. It is not a gullible state to live in. That is simply the inherent power of thought at play on a constant basis in our minds.
How to Shift Your Thinking
We are all creatures of habit. We have very set ways of doing things because we have conditioned ourselves to think, feel and behave that way through years (and sometimes decades) of practice. It is this type of habitual thought patterns that can set the stage for an empowering and fulfilling life, or help to play a hand in our resultant downfall over time. Thoughts quite literally are things since they lay the foundation for any type of life we might decide to lead.
If you are serious about achieving your goals and accomplishing anything worth noting in life, then you have to leverage the power of your thoughts by shifting your thinking. Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” You cannot expect to think, feel and behave the same way but garner different results. You have to take drastic measures by sowing the seeds of change to reap powerful results.
Yet, it does not happen overnight. For those that are serious, there is a pathway to achievement. As long as you can shift your thinking into the right direction, you can quite literally manifest your dreams. So how does this work? This multi-step process is born through the application of a few fundamental principles to help manifest and attract whatever it is that you want in your life. As long as you appreciate the power behind focused thoughts, and you can apply these steps, you can achieve anything.
Refine Your Focus
The power to achieve anything lies in your focus. The more you can focus your thoughts on something, the more likely you wiil be able to achieve it. If you focus your mind on the wrong things, then you will have a harder time achieving anything in life. Learn how to direct and refine your focus to help guide you in the right direction. If you do not, you will feel at the mercy of the events in your life rather than at the helm of them.
Gain the Proper Perspective
Sometimes, we take things for granted in life. We live in the status quo, with the expectation of a certain standard of living, or that people around us will be there for us in our times of need and so on. But, oftentimes, it is the things that we take for granted, which were once not a part of our lives, that we need to appreciate and be grateful for if we want to succeed. There are hundreds of millions of people living in complete squalor with no hope for the future, so be sure to have gratitude for whatever it is that you do have, no matter how meek it might seem.
Set Meaningful Goals
If you want to leverage the power of your thoughts to achieve great things, you have to set meaningful goals. What do your goals mean to you? They cannot be superficial. When we set superficial goals, it is easier to lose sight of them. They have to mean something so profound that it allows us to focus solely on them no matter what tends to get in our way. That only happens when we set goals that truly mean something to us beyond things like money, fame and prestige.
Find Ways to Add Value
We can harness our thoughts to achieve wild success when we are constantly seeking ways to add value. Life should not always be about a direct return on investment from your time spent on things. You have to look at the long-term implications of doing things the right way today, even if it takes a considerable amount of time for that to materialise into real results. When you search for shortcuts, you cut yourself off from the abundance that awaits the person who goes out of their way for others.
Follow a Detailed and Intricate Plan
We can help to guide our thoughts in the right direction when we follow detailed and intricate plans. Whatever it is that you want in life, as long as you do the right amount of planning, you can achieve it over time. It just will not happen overnight. But it is the right plan that will take you from Point A to Point B. Without it, you will be left scratching your head and wondering why you are not making the amount of progress you want to achieve.
Manage Your Time Effectively
Effective time management is a skill that some of the most successful people on earth institute. We all have the same amount of time in this world, no matter who we are. However, it is how we use that time wisely that dictates just what we are capable of achieving. Guide your thoughts in the right direction by first auditing and analysing your time, then institute a system to use the little time you do have wisely towards the achievement of your goals.
Handle Your Bad Habits Before They Handle You
The right thoughts directed in the right direction can be powerful. But the wrong thoughts directed in the wrong direction can be fatal. Poor thoughts help to instill bad habits. And those bad habits can run rampant on our lives. There is almost no way to accomplish and achieve great things in life when our bad habits consume us. Take control of your bad habits before they take control of your life you if you are serious about reaching your goals.
Avoid Negativity Like the Plague
Negative thinking will lead us nowhere fast. Do what it takes to avoid negativity. Remember that all of reality is merely an illusion. On the macro level, it does not seem that way. But on the quantum level, it is hard to believe that what exists actually exists. There is true power in the positive energy of good and pure thoughts. But there is also true catastrophe in negative thinking. Avoid negative thinking like the plague because like attracts like.
Contribute Your Time To Others
Contribution is at the heart of success. Our fellow men, women and children are struggling, even right in our own backyards. Find ways to contribute to them. Contribution will open you up to an enormous source of good energy from the universe. Do not look for ways you can take from others, but rather what you can give to them. No matter what the situation, nor how little you think you might have, others have less. But you do not need to give them money. Just contribute your time. That is all it takes.
Stay Persistent No Matter What
Life can be hard at the best of times. And it can be downright unbearable at the worst of times. But the true pathway to achieving anything is to stay persistent no matter what. No matter how many times you fail or feel like giving up, do not throw in the proverbial towel. Stay strong, persistent and keep pushing. You can do and achieve anything you put your mind to as long as you stay persistent. It is all in your mind. It always has been and it always will be.
With thanks to Wanderlust Worker
