"What luck for rulers that men do not think."
Jesus said, "As a man thinketh, so is he." You may not be religious (I’m really not religious, either…); but the truth does not stand or fall because of the reputation of the speaker. Truth is always truth. This saying isn’t true because Jesus said it; Jesus was quoting when he said this — these words appear in the Old Testament, and in every other religion on the planet. Buddha said, "What we think, we become," for example; and Gandhi (who was neither a Jew, Christian, nor a Buddhist) expressed the exact sentiment thusly, "A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes." What a gift this is! I wonder why so few use it…
It doesn’t matter what we think; thoughts are the seeds and we need only think (plant) them in order for them to grow into something. And we reap in our bodies and lives the physical fruits of those thoughts we sow and cultivate in our minds. Unfortunately, most people simply don’t think — they memorize and repeat things. If your opinions, for instance, match those of a "talking head" on any national television news show, what makes you think those are your opinions? "Opinion," said John Erskine, "is that exercise of the human will which helps us to make a decision without information." H.L. Mencken wrote, in 1925, "The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches."
Practical Prayer: She got a better job with a Prayer
A friend of mine called last night and it was obvious that she was very upset. She had recently broken her wrist and told me that her team leader at work was trying to get her fired for missing work. Apparently her team leader had spoken with several other people concerned (human resources, personnel, etc…) and, for whatever reason, she had convinced them that my friend just shouldn’t come back to work. My friend didn’t think she was being treated fairly, and called to ask if I knew if it was legal for them to treat her that way; after all, all she wanted was to meet with the head of human resources to discuss how soon she could return to her job after breaking her wrist.
You might say that there’s two sides to every story; but it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is what you want and what you think about. Unfortunately for my friend, we live in a right-to-work state and anyone can be terminated at any time for any reason. But that doesn’t matter either if you know what you want and know how to think about it.
Secrets for Turning Resolutions into Realities, part 1
It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions. Many early religious traditions, including Christianity, used this time of year to reflect on past mistakes and set better intentions for the coming year. But no matter what time of year it is, you are still right there between your past and future — continuously learning from the past and creating the future. The middle of winter — the depth of the "death" season — provides the perfect setting and opportunity to reflect on what has been, and contemplate what is yet to come.
Humans are creatures of habit; we do what we are programmed or conditioned to do. Jesus said, "As a man thinketh, so it is done to him;" and we think about the things we see and hear and feel — unless we have incentive to think of something else. We are taught what to think; and then we do what we think about. We can program ourselves; or we can allow ourselves to be "programmed" by our environment — adopting the opinions and desires of others. Gandhi said:
"Our beliefs become our thoughts.
Our thoughts become our words.
Our words become our actions.
Our actions become our habits.
Our habits become our values.
Our values become our destiny."
More Stuff about STUFF
There is nothing wrong with, or bad about, stuff — or wanting stuff. Wrong and bad are judgments that are simply too easy to make. All STUFF, however, does have hidden costs and consequences for us and our world. We could all be a bit more conscious of STUFF rather than being so STUFF-conscious. By this I simply mean that we could all think a little more about our impulses before we simply act on them.
True, leaving the lights on and doors open probably won’t destroy the planet; but many of the things we are currently doing are creating more and more suffering for humanity — and could eventually leave our home unsuitable for human habitation. I’m not suggesting that you rush out and change things you are doing; that probably wouldn’t really work anyway. But I am suggesting that you start thinking about these things — and even consider different ways of thinking about them. When you’ve found a better way, the change will be natural and automatic.
For instance, you don’t have to make yourself stop watching television; but if you found more productive things to do — things that you enjoy more than watching television — then you’d stop watching t.v. and it wouldn’t be a matter of stopping something you like doing. It would be a matter of spending your time doing something you’d rather be doing. All you need to do is consider something new and look for an incentive to do it; the rest comes naturally. Watch this video about STUFF and you’ll see how easy it is to get swept up by something — and how difficult it can be sometimes to realize that you are on "the wide path" to a time and place you really won’t enjoy (even though you think you are enjoying the ride to that place).
The earth will survive. Humans, however, are just another species — just like the millions of species that have already come and gone from this planet. We have hunted, fished, and harvested countless species to extinction; and, not only will we probably suffer the same fate, but our actions are making it increasingly likely that we will probably suffer extinction at the hands of the same foe — humanity. Don’t think yourself bad or wrong; just start thinking. And start thinking positively about your health and the health of the planet. As you think, so it is done. Let the change begin in your mind.
This is a great video, and it is free; so be patient if the page takes a couple minutes to load — enlightenment is always worth the wait!
The Story of Stuff
Awesome Video That is Important to See Before You Start Holiday Shopping
It’s not about STUFF; it’s about JOY
Books like The Secret, or The Belief Formula, or any other book that seeks to explain the nature and relationship of thoughts becoming things, can be read by many different people at many different levels of understanding. Though these books seek to explore and explain the importance of our thoughts and thought processes — and how those thoughts actually create and become our life experience — they are often seen as books that teach you how to use your mind to "get STUFF." Well, it’s not about the STUFF; it’s about JOY!
By "STUFF," I am referring to things you can buy, eat, wear, drive, live in, play with, etc… Money, and other material goods, seem to be the "STUFF" most people (in America, anyway) seem to be interested in; but try not to miss the point — or the boat. Your stuff is not making you happy — and it never has. Receiving stuff may have caused you to feel elation at one point, and you may enjoy using or looking at some of your stuff; but there is an energetic cost for everything you have, and if it isn’t giving back at least as much energy as it requires to maintain, then your stuff is draining your energy — your life.
It’s Always Better to Bless than Stress!
It is always better to bless than stress! In any of life’s many moments, we can find a blessing, or we can fail to see the good that is always there. In every outcome, we either get what we want, or what we need – perhaps in the form of valuable feedback. It is our job here to learn to see the blessings all around us – and to learn to pass those blessing on to others in any way we can.
In case you need it, here’s some incentive to change the way you think about the world around you. For starters, when you bless a person, they feel it; and you feel it too. When you do something kind for someone, they actually receive a health benefit; and so do you. Even more interesting than that is the fact that anyone witnessing your kind act will also experience the same positive physiological changes and health benefits as the giver and receiver of the blessing. Anyone witnessing, receiving, or performing a kind act experiences and immediate boost in immune function, among other things. For your health, and the health of those around you, it is always better to bless.
Seek and You Will Find
One of the most well-known peculiarities of modern physics is a phenomenon called the “Observer Effect.” Simply put, when you observe an experiment, you change the outcome of the experiment; you cannot observe an experiment without affecting it. In the early part of the last century, physicists performed a very interesting experiment, called the “Double-slit Experiment,” in which this phenomenon can be consistently observed in a most fascinating way.
In the experiment, it was shown that the outcome of the experiment changed as the point of observation changed; when you look at the experiment from one point, a certain thing happens, and when you change perspectives, the same conditions produce different results!
You can “Google” the “Double-slit experiment” and learn more about it; but the key point is that this experiment defies linear reason and logic (indicating that there is only so far we can go with the intellect alone). The double-slit experiment proved in a highly reproducible and scientific way that you get what you’re looking for — and that it isn’t always easy to explain, or understand, the things we see. (If you’ve never heard of this phenomenon, there is a fun and informative video at the end of this article that explains it in an easy-to-understand way.)
Check out this cool video
Wow I thought this was great.
How I Lost 55-lbs. with the Power of Prayer
To me, the power of prayer is the incredible power we wield when we join our mind and spirit — our brain and heart, or thoughts and feelings. This is indeed the secret to having your prayers answered: Align yourself completely with what you are asking for — body, mind, and spirit. Whatever you ask for, believing in your heart you have received it, will be yours.
It occurred to me that, if this was true, people should just be able to pray for those things they want, things like: Better health, more happiness, peace of mind, and quick and easy weight-loss, among other things. It had already occurred to me that I was 50-pounds overweight; and it seemed natural that I should "put my money where my mouth is," as they say.
I think anyone could lose weight by starving themselves and working-out like crazy. But would they be happy? Some of them might; and others may shift into a happy place upon seeing tangible results. But most people have tried this route to weight-loss; and most of them have failed. Remember, there are over 200-million overweight Americans; that’s over 66% of our population!
Don’t Speak of your Problems; Ask for what you want
"In the beginning was the Word…" A word is simply a thought, or many thoughts, clothed in sound; if the thought is "good," the word will be "good," and if the word is not "good," you know the thought wasn’t either. Good thoughts and words produce good fruit; while bad thoughts and words produce bad fruit.
Whatever thought is sown in the mind determines the fruit we reap in our bodies and lives. Thoughts become things; and a word is both a thought and a thing. "As a man thinketh, so it is done unto him;" so speak not of your problems, troubles, debts, illness, pains or aches — because to he who has, more will be added.
If you are talking about it, you’re thinking about it; and "it is done unto you according to your thoughts." And one of the quickest ways to express your thoughts to the world around you is to speak them; so remember: "Your word is your wand." "Declare a thing and it is so."
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The Belief Formula
