"Whenever you go out of doors, draw the chin in, carry the crown of the head high, and fill the lungs to the utmost; drink in the sunshine; greet your friends with a smile, and put soul into every handclasp. Do not fear being misunderstood and do not waste a minute thinking about your enemies. Try to fix firmly in your mind what you would like to do; and then, without veering of direction, you will move straight to the goal. Keep your mind on the great and splendid things you would like to do, and then, as the days go gliding by, you will find yourself unconsciously seizing upon the opportunities that are required for the fulfillment of your desire, just as the coral insect takes from the running tide the element it needs. Picture in your mind the able, earnest, useful person you desire to be, and the thought you hold is hourly transforming you into that particular individual... Thought is supreme. Preserve a right mental attitude - the attitude of courage, frankness, and good cheer. To think rightly is to create. All things come through desire and every sincere prayer is answered. We become like that on which our hearts are fixed. Carry your chin in and the crown of your head high. We are gods in the chrysalis."
--Elbert Hubbard.
Need some inspiration today? You're welcome.
Over the past few months, I have slowly been coming to the realization of just how powerful my thoughts actually are. For me, it has always been much easier to focus on the negative and complain about it instead of looking at the good things in my life. Lately, though, I have been training myself to think more positively. Whenever I have a negative thought, I immediately think of something positive to go in its place. For example, sometimes I do stupid things while I am driving, like accidentally cutting someone off. Typically, I will instantly say to myself, "Wow, I am an idiot."
Or something to that effect. Lately, when I have that thought, I follow it immediately with, "I'm not an idiot. I just made a mistake." This simple change has actually had a HUGE effect on the way that I think about myself and other people. If someone in traffic doesn't use their turn signal before changing lanes, at first I instinctively think something negative about them. Directly after that thought, though, I will trade that thought for something positive like, "That doesn't make them a bad person. Maybe they just forgot. People make mistakes."
The other thing I have frequently experimented with is seeing how different attitudes will affect my day. If I choose to have a good attitude and am patient and forgiving, my day is always much happier than if I choose to be more easily annoyed. It works every time!
Occasionally, though, there are days when I am just in a sad mood. Instead of fighting my feelings and pretending that I am happy and cheery, I let myself feel my emotions. It is much easier to return to a happy disposition when you allow yourself to feel all of your emotions instead of acting like you only have the one.
I have loved learning about the power of thought and I am excited to see what else I can do with my brain, because it's pretty awesome. :)
