Thought Power

What do you think about thinking? Most of us probably think we do a lot of it, but we don't. True, for most of us, there is an endless stream of chatter drifting through our consciousness. But self-talk isn't thinking. It's just commentary. It's just an automatic regurgitation of opinions and beliefs. That automatic commentary is often negative. It weighs us down and impedes our progress.

By thinking I mean the conscious formulation of ideas. Thinking suggests deliberate thoughts that serve a purpose. So little true thinking takes place that it caused two great minds to make the following comments. "Most of one's life is one prolonged effort to prevent oneself thinking." (Aldous Huxley, 1894 ~ 1963). Some would argue that we avoid thinking to avoid thinking about death, but that's another subject.

As to be expected from George Bernard Shaw (1856 ~ 1950), his comment on our dislike of thinking is in a humorous vein, "Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself thinking once or twice a week." The talented character actor and screenwriter Paul Fix (1901 ~ 1983) also put a humorous spin on the subject by saying, "The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."

When we think before we act, or consider the consequences of our actions, we can prevent a great many disasters. Thomas Secker (1693 ~ 1768, former Archbishop of Canterbury) put it this way, "Some persons do first, think afterward, and then repent forever." But it needn't be that way. We have the power to think before we act. At the very least, we can think after we act. That way if we make a mistake, we can learn from it.

One of the most powerful forms of thinking is reflection or contemplation. Simply put, it is careful thought, or thinking things through. In other words, we weigh the pros and cons or benefits and liabilities of a particular course of action. However, we don't want to overdo it. For as British Statesman Edward F. Halifax (1881 ~ 1959) said, "A person may dwell so long upon a thought that it may take him prisoner." At times, any action is better than no action. After all, if we make a mistake, we can learn from it and move on, but not to act at all is to remain frozen in time.

If you are unhappy with life, change the way you think about it. In other words, change your perspective. Change the way you see things. Learn to see the good that surrounds you. Sometimes we are so busy looking for flaws, imperfections, and problems that that is all we see. "Very little is needed to make a happy life;" taught Marcus Aurelius (121 ~ 180 AD), "it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." Doug Horton adds an interesting twist, "Life is good when we think it's good. Life is bad when we don't think."

Our thoughts are a source of power. They can ennoble us or denigrate us, generate happiness or create misery, or set us free or enslave us. Thoughts are a creative force. You see, we become good by thinking about goodness and cause trouble to others and ourselves by thinking about trouble. Sid Madwed makes a serious point in a lighthearted way in this verse, "Thoughts are funny little things, They can make paupers or make kings."

Yes, constructive thinking is a life skill that leads to opportunities and personal growth. What can be more fun than wrestling with the infinite possibilities in our midst? Or more fun than trying to figure out our role in the overall scheme of things? Many exciting adventures await those who are willing to take the time to stop and think, for the fruits of thought are decisions, actions, and results. We can multiply the power of thought by using pen and paper. For writing down our thoughts helps us to focus on them. It allows us to capture our thoughts and all the directions in which they flow. Also, our notes provide the opportunity to amplify, clarify, modify, and simplify what's on our mind. Notes also serve as records to which we can refer to once again in the future.

Another way to unleash the power of thought is to ask questions. But they need to be the right questions. Ask, "How can I solve this problem?" Don't ask, "Why did this happen to me?" Ask, "What are my options?" Don't ask, "Who or what can I blame?" Walter Duranty makes a good point, "The problem with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than their minds."

To be truly powerful, we must grasp the truth that no one or no thing has any power over us other than that which we give to it with our own negative thoughts. The miracle of thought power is this: a single positive thought can destroy an army of negative thoughts. Often, a single word is enough to change one's life for the better. For example, let's say that over several years, Tom has said thousands of times to himself, "I can't speak before large groups." But one day, through a flash of insight, he adds a single word to that sentence, saying for the first time, "I can't speak before large groups YET." That one word changes the meaning of the sentence so it now means, "I CAN speak before large groups WITH PROPER TRAINING." So, Tom enrolls in a public speaking course or joins Toastmasters International, taking the first steps to transforming his life. Can you see how changing our thoughts changes our lives and changing the way we look at things changes the world we live in. In a word, our thoughts govern our world.

Explosive power can be released when we combine the power of thought with the power of imagination. By joining the two forces, we can create our life vision and the dreams that we wish to pursue. By following our dreams, we create a life of adventure. To help us along the path to GREATNESS (title of the following poem), here are some thoughts to think about:

GREATNESS
A man is as great as the dreams he dreams, As great as the love he bears; As great as the values he redeems, And the happiness he shares.
A man is as great as the thoughts he thinks, As the worth he has attained; As the fountains at which his spirit drinks And the insight he has gained.
A man is as great as the truth he speaks, As great as the help he gives, As great as the destiny he seeks, As great as the life he lives.
-- by C.E. Flynn

Motivation: Dictating The Terms For Yourself

The importance of the word named “motivation” conveys lot more than it seems to have. Anything and everything that have to be done won’t be materialized unless and until it is supplemented by the crucial entity named “motivation”. Motivation is not something that could be manufactured, instead it has to come from within, rather, has to be cultivated.

It won’t ever be an animated reality if I mention that it is because of this motivation that world progresses even a fraction of a second. So, in a micro sense, each human needs to be motivated for every deed of his to be done. If you understand that the greatest or the ever discussed topic in psychological arena is motivation related aspects, its importance is conveyed and taken for granted.

Though we state that motivation is more or less a mental concern, it should not be stated that the physical well being and fitness have hardly any role to play. Moreover it could be stated that, motivation related problems are cancerously growing among the youth. This is so severe a scenario that they have to have a serious look at the mental status, physical well being and attitude. People, who are addicted to habits like smoking, alcohol consumption etc, should treat motivation as a pivotal entity in recovering themselves from those habits.

People who find it difficult to change their habits or people who continuously fails in motivating themselves to move forward to achieve their desired goal would find hypnosis as an effective solution. Hypnosis could very well be stated as a process of changing the well settled habitual mental status of people which help them in uprooting the so called status, to lead a better living. In whatever one does, motivation holds the key. The situations could be as diverse as it can be like meeting the deadline when given a job, stopping a bad habit like smoking or consumption of alcohol, reducing the weight drastically etc..

It should be reiterated that motivation finds its root in beliefs. If you have a strong faith in yourself, or if you have strong belief that some particular thing could be done within the stipulated time, you starts working hard on it. You are motivated to toil hard since you have the faith or belief that, it could be done. But at any point of time, if your belief or faith got hurt by any means, you are letting yourself down and where is your motivating factor? You find it difficult to dictate the terms for yourself. Here, hypnosis is so relevant. Statistical analysis shows that over 90% of people can be hypnotized. To motivate yourself, hypnosis can very well help you for sure. In this technologically advanced world, you only need to be choosy in selecting the media you need to get hypnotized. Compact disks, MP3 s etc are available in the market which essentially deals with hypnosis related to motivation issues.

It is so amazing to study that, which attribute of human mind caused him to be under motivated; the same attribute helps him to prepare himself for hypnosis, and come out successfully. That attribute, being the delicacy of human mind forms the leanest of all the bridges between an under motivated and a motivated mind set.

How To Stop And Overcome Procrastination

There are various reasons as to why people procrastinate… lack of confidence, fear of failing, low self-esteem, lack of focus, lack of skills or just simply plain lazy. Whatever the reason is, it’s got to be stopped otherwise you will always feel regretful. You will also feel that your life is very disorganized and scattered. Nothing important seems to get done and you will feel that you have no goal in life. Procrastination can ruin your life.

Let’s look at some of the most common reasons people procrastinate and tips that can help you overcome procrastination.

Lack of Confidence

Well, lack of confidence is normally due to lack of knowledge and skills to do something. The only solution to overcome this is to learn and build confidence. Lack of confidence is like a table without the legs. In order to be stable, a table needs to have four legs. Similarly, to have confidence, you need knowledge. This is easy to achieve as long as you are willing to start learning.

Fear of Failure

This is normal as most people are risk averse. People don’t like to take risk and experience changes in their life. Most people prefer to be in a comfort zone. However, in today fast-changing world, the comfort zone is actually the danger zone. Most successful people take calculated risk, it is the only way to get ahead in life. Of course, any risk - no matter how calculated it is - comes a chance of failure. But successful people are not afraid of failure, they understand that failure is part of success. They learn from their failure and then they gather energy to multiply their success.

Lack of Focus

We all know that success needs motivation and hard works… but more importantly it needs you to be laser focused! In order to accomplish something great, you need to put your mind to success. If you don’t put your mind to it, no matter how hard you work or how motivated you are, without focus, you will always feel that you are wandering around and missing out the goals. So, you must set goals, plan and focus on those activities that will move you closer to your goals. That’s the only way you can overcome procrastination and start edging towards your goals.

Lack of Self Esteem and Motivation

Lack of self-esteem prevents you from completing the easiest task. Why? Either because you do not feel you are worthy of the challenge, or because you feel you are not good enough to complete it. Motivation is a good place to begin. Start with an easy task first; then gradually work your way up to full completion. Your confidence will build; you will feel more positive about what you can accomplish, and you will be less likely to avoid the next task at hand.

Last but not least, if you procrastinate because you are simply plain lazy then I have three words for you… “don’t be lazy!”. If you’re lazy, nobody can really help you except yourself. Another good way to deal with laziness is to associate yourself with other people who are not lazy. Hopefully they can help influence and perk you up.