Your Thoughts, Your Future.

We've been taught 

"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a destiny"

. I suspect that this proverb is found in teachings across cultures globally. The point is, like it or not,

we're not on autopilot.

If we want change,

we have to change our minds.

Renew Your Mind.

Thoughts & Feelings

Medicine, science and your own experience (even if you've ignored it) have all made it clear that

your thoughts can heal or harm your physical body.

Thinking about things that

we fear will happen,

for example, creates feelings of

anxiety, anger, despair, self-doubt, depression and negative stress.

These cause heart failure, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and more debilitating unmentionables, which over time become chronic ailments. "The power of life and death lie in the tongue". If we already know all of this,

why have we done nothing to change it?

Thinking about positive things, things that

we want to happen

or good things that are happening at the moment, literally bring healing. On a 'practical' level, if you will, when you're happy,

you breathe deeper, your muscles relax, you have an involuntary smile and your heartbeat is less erratic.

All of this sends more oxygen to your brain, fosters cell repair, releases endorphins (that creates a 'happy loop') and reduces the stress on your heart, respectively. In miraculous terms, have you met a cancer survivor or someone whose tumor just disappeared? I have -

it rocked my world.

What do you want?

Restored health? Love? Financial freedom? More consistent inner peace? More supportive community? Why not

start thinking about what you want,

instead of what you don't want? I'd never thought of it that way, but I heard this guy, Greg Braden (

watch his video

when you have the time) say

"Who taught us to think about what we don't want instead of what we want?!"

It was suddenly so obvious what needed to change. Perhaps we won't track all our thoughts, but we can all stop to acknowledge how we feel, how we're breathing. Feelings tell you where your thoughts (conscious or subconscious) might be.

Let's start there.

Emotions versus Feelings

Let's make this a bit easier.

At any given moment, we're dealing with a myriad of feelings. It's no wonder so many of us ignore our feelings! At the base of it all, however, our feelings are fed by one of

two emotions -

Love or Fear.

Fear is the opposite of Love.

Courage is merely a manifestation of love - ask most parents. Every feeling we have is rooted in fear or love. Now, it won't always be obvious what you're afraid of, or what you love, that's driving the feeling. You know, however, that negative feelings are driven by

fear, which holds you back,

and that positive feelings are driven by

love, which empowers you.

If you can believe that, which would you choose?

Positive feelings create positive outcomes because

we attract what we think about.

It may be draining to

"hold every thought captive"

for examination, but

you are almost always aware of how you feel

- good or bad - even if you can't place a finger on how or why. If the cause of your 'bad' feeling is coming from within, then assess what thought(s) contributed to that, make it a positive thought. Look at "I hope I'm not late" as "everything is running smoothly so I'll be on time".

Food for thought:

Wars are borne of fear. Courage, as an element of Love, seeks to protect, defend. Love in all its elements (generosity, kindness, hope) finds a place for all.

[

Side bar:

I believe in intuition, so if you're feeling 'bad', look around first to make sure there are no threats. The threat doesn't have to be obvious. If your gut says move, then move. Regardless of how rude it may seem. Move.]

Decisions & Commitment

Globally, spiritual movements teach

"be specific when you ask"

; "no one who is double-minded receives from the Lord...ask and you shall receive"; "believe and then receive (stay open to) what you've asked for"

and

"if you can imagine it, you can have it";

believe and you can receive

"immeasurably more than you can imagine".

The point is, if you are to ask, believe and receive, you have to first

decide on what you're asking for

before you can see it. Trust that you will be taken care of as you step out in faith, rather than fearing what can go wrong if you get what you want. If you make your decision from a place of love, true love, then you've automatically infused that decision with self-care while being considerate of those impacted by that decision.

Ask, commit to that specific "ask",

expect to receive it, then release it to God, or your higher power, and go on living.

"No", "Don't" and Your Ask Words

"Ask" may mean different things

to different people -

pray, release it to the universe, speak it, write it, believe it, expect it

- but whatever it means to you ASK. Ask, however, for what you want; not for what you don't want. Asking for what you don't want brings to mind... what you don't want... and all the feelings that those thoughts come with. It takes energy (brain space) away from thoughts of what you do want and the feelings that those thoughts come with.

Mother Teresa said she will not attend an "anti-war" rally, but she'd love to attend a "peace" rally.

Are you getting the picture?

"No"

and

"don't"

have no weight in our brains other that to

produce negative feelings.

Those words do not eliminate what follows, they merely attach a feeling to them.

What are your "ask" words?

Instead of "I don't want debt" or "I'm not in debt", perhaps say "I have a lot of money" or "I'm always in the black".

The present tense

also helps when you're asking.

"I will"

often, keeps us in the

"one day in the future"

frame of mind. That perspective doesn't drive us to get up and get, because

it's not a priority.

Speaking as though it already is,

puts us in a place to

expect, act, believe and receive, now.

We start preparing to receive it.

What will you do with it? Where will you put it? When will you have time to enjoy it?

We are conditioned to think that doing that means we're lying to ourselves; we're not. You want it and you're going to make it happen. Full-stop. Infuse it with love, and see what happens. (P.S. It helps to be persistent.)

In Closing

Greg Braden is one of those people who's content

'serendipity'

brought into my life in 2014,

once I committed to changing my thinking.

All of 2014 was, to me, evidence that this is true. Essentially:

1. Stop! Stop the rat race, the "oh no" conversation and the "I really don't want" thoughts.

2. Breathe deeply. Choose not to rush and do just that for 2 minutes (the whole 2 minutes).

3. Dream. If 'reality' wasn't a ceiling, if no one could judge... What would you want? Expect it.

4. Feel. What would it feel like to have your dream life? What would you be able to do? See it.

5. Gratitude. Smile in gratitude for what you have now. Really feel it.

6. Plan. In that grateful mindset, what steps do you need to take to get to your dream? Write it.

7. Act. What steps can you take today? Take at least one step. Even if it's just to think positively. Start.

In all of this,

start with your mind.

 Start everyday focused on

1-3 good things

in your life,

1 dream

and

what those things make you feel.

Hold on to that all day, and

let Love drive your thoughts.