Can Changing Your Thoughts Change Your Life?
As a man thinks, so is he.
Remember the schoolyard taunt, “What you say is what you are!”? It usually followed a mature exchange of insults, often beginning with “cooties,” and progressing through booger-possession to “You’re just dumb!” Thankfully, the recess bell usually intervened in time to prevent meltdown, but “what you say is what you are” was usually the beginning of the end.
If you’re an entrepreneur, there’s a slightly different and far more useful version of that phrase that you might consider posting over your desk. “What you think is what you are” can be a reminder to stay focused or to think of yourself as the professional you need to be. It can also be a gentle nudge to get off the pity party train, or a reminder that complaining and excuses will get you nowhere.
“What you think is what you are” can even change your life. The truth is, we do become become what we think. See yourself as a professional, and you’ll behave professionally. Think of yourself as a creative person, and you’ll be open to following creative paths. Choose to think like someone who makes things happen, and you won’t find yourself stuck. Be grateful for good things in your life, and you’ll find even more to be thankful for.
What if you woke up tomorrow with only what you were grateful for today?
Thoughts are powerful. They can create a positive atmosphere where creativity can flourish or they can keep you mired far below your potential. You can choose thoughts that help you grow, and you can choose to deflect thoughts (your own or others’) that keep you stuck.
Have you chosen your companions wisely?
It’s been said that an individual’s happiness and success measures at the average level of the happiness and success of the ten people with whom he or she spends the most time.
If you aren’t surrounded by people who are loving, positive, learning, growing, creating, and living the kind of life you want to live, be sure that you’re finding good companions in the books you read and the media you listen to or watch. Seek out those who support the person you aspire to be, and learn from them. What you think really will be what you are in ten years, so make sure you’re moving in the right direction!
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 13:20
