Have you ever thought about what you think about?
Are your thoughts taken up with trying to remember all the things you have to do? Or are you playing out conversations in your mind? Are you problem-solving? Or are you re-playing things that have already happened? Have you ever wondered why? Why do think about what you think about?
I am reading the 1902 classic essay by James Allen called, “As a man thinketh”. What an amazing book and it’s free on Google! I believe it is relevant to all of us today as we all try to get more, be more and do more.
Take a moment and let some of my favorite thoughts sink in:
1. Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.
2. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.
3. Every action and feeling is preceded by a thought.
4. Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.
5. Men are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves and they, therefore, remain bound.
6. Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.
7. The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires – and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.
8. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thought, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.
9. As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.
10. A man’s mind is like a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind.
As we all attempt to navigate the daily challenges of our lives…I hope that we will be just a little more intentional about what we focus on. Be mindful of what you think about and the thoughts you allow into your mind.
So if it is weeds or seeds…it’s our choice… and that choice…is what we will ultimately become.