Norman Vincent Peale once said, "Change your thoughts and you change your world." I find that Mr. Peale was correct. In counseling, those who choose how they will process life's events in their minds are the ones who make quicker and more radical improvements. The ones who refuse to take charge of their mind and monitor their thoughts are the ones who are still haunted by loneliness, depression, hopelessness and a general overall critical attitude. They are the ones who improve very little or not at all.
I've been working at monitoring my thoughts and first reactions to events and situations in my life. This has also made me more sensitive to the thinking and responses of others. I'm finding that our world is very negative. We have become extremely negative in our thinking. In fact, negative thinking is considered normal. We have desensitized ourselves to how negative we have become as a people. Last week, I kept a journal of my negative thoughts. I was shocked. About 70 percent of my thoughts were negative. Then I charted the negative thoughts of several people around me. They did as bad, if not worse, than me.
The negativity of our nation was further revealed when a minister from Africa was here for a conference. He was shocked at how negative and pessimistic the people were. In fact, he heard a man complaining that he couldn't get the color of vehicle he wanted. Then he heard someone complaining how uncomfortable the seats in the church were. He couldn't believe that Christians were complaining about such things. He wanted to know why such small, insignificant things as car color and seat comfort would cause people to grip and whine.
The only answer I could give was: "We are spoiled!"
I know that many sad and bad things happen. However, I wonder if we would recover more quickly if we could mentally process these events in a positive manner. Is it possible to change your world by changing your thoughts? I believe so. Why? Because the Bible states in Proverbs that as a man thinks in his heart so shall he be. Also in Philippians of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul tells us to think on things that are pure, lovely and of a good report.
Choosing how we will think in any given set of circumstances is one of the last freedoms available to humans. Williams James said, "The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." Malcom Forbes is quoted as saying, "When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better." James Hayes said, "Effective people live in the present -- but concentrate on the future." Ann Landers is quoted as saying: "Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead -- that's where your future is."
I want to challenge you to do two things:
- Monitor your thoughts. Take control over them. Intentionally on purpose, replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
- Do not comment or give your opinion on anything to anyone unless you are asked to do so.
Keep the Spirit of Hope alive by changing your thoughts in order to change your life.
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