What Are You Thinking?

I suspect that it would be almost impossible to count all of the books that have been written about philosophy, self improvement, religion or success in life.  People have a deep desire to know the secret of reaching their highest potential financially, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, socially and every other aspect of their lives.  Undoubtedly, billions of dollars are spent annually in search of the holy grail.  

Well, breathe easy.  You can get the answer for less than $10.00.  It is a small book published in 1903 by James Allen entitled As a Man Thinketh.  The title is a reference to Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Normally I don’t include extensive quotes; however, in this post I don’t think I can add much to what Allen presents.  So, here is the essence of life.

“Man is made or unmade by himself.  In the armory of thought he forges the weapon by which he destroys himself.  He also fashions the tools with which he builds himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.  By the right choice of and true application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection.  By the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast.  Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.”

“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild.  But, whether cultivated or neglected, it will bring forth.  If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of weed seeds will fall  therein and will continue to produce their kind.  Just as a gardener cultivates his plot keeping it free from weeds and growing flowers and fruits he requires, so may a man attend the garden of his mind, weeding out all  the wrong, useless and impure thoughts  and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts.  By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life.  He also reveals within himself the laws of thought and understands with ever increasing accuracy how the  thought forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances and destiny.”

Once again, we encounter the truth of that fundamental Socratic admonition, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”  What we read, watch, listen to, discuss or think about all contribute to the direction and quality of  our lifelong journey. In Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, author Daniel Amen, a research psychologist, expands on this principle and offers strategies for directing our internal dialogue.  What awaits us is the life-altering realization that we hold the key to much of our future in our ability to mindfully choose how we think and what we think about.