Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 1:01am
Your mind does not have a mind of its own
Column: All Paths
There is a lot of information out there about positive thinking and manifesting what you want in your life. I wish more people would read it. I realize a lot of people are taking advantage of this information. However, I feel after my experiences this week, when I encountered at least five people who believe that life has very little to offer them and that they have little or no control over their destiny, I want to offer my insights about what a little positive thinking can do.
I submit that you are at the mercy of your mind, if you cannot control your thoughts. Your thoughts can rule or serve you. Yes, our thoughts really do shape the events in our lives. Positive outcomes are born of positive expectations, and negative outcomes are born of negative expectations. Conditioning of thought based on past experiences is perhaps the major determining factor in what we expect to happen in our daily lives.
Let me demonstrate how this worked for me. About six years ago, I was trying to buy a business. The day was fast approaching for me to take control of the business, but I did not have the many thousands of dollars needed to purchase it. Imagine my mental state in the days leading up to that day. I was in complete turmoil. After some deep prayer and meditation, a state of calm came over me. That omnipresent-present inner voice said, "Proceed. It will be OK." I trusted that message and went forth with the plan, and a well-connected friend introduced me to a local banker who, on the day of the scheduled sale, came through with some eleventh-hour financing. I received this wonderful news via my cell phone as I drove with my advisers (who thought I was crazy, by the looks on their faces, because they knew that I did not have the money to complete the transaction) to meet with the seller and conclude the purchase of the business.
So the sale went through and I had myself a business. Had I listened to my friends, business associates and those nay-saying inner demons, as I had done so many times in the past, it would never have happened. Everything worked out with this deal, because my expectations were absolutely positive and affirming. My desires were aligned with my expectations, and I did not let a fear-based thought process develop around this deal. Remember, success and positive outcomes — not failure — are the natural order for us.
Many times our expectations are not aligned with what we want or desire. Many of us, and I still do it sometimes, set a goal or objective that we believe could change our lives. Way deep down in our core we really want this thing (a job-house-business-relationship, etc.). But at the same time, we allow the voice of fear and doubt to speak louder than our internal divine cheerleader who encourages us and gives us faith, hope and guidance. When we allow this to happen, the result is that we don't achieve our goal or get what we want. Remember, you control which voice you will listen to. It is totally up to you to let the internal divine cheerleader speak, or let the demonic voice of fear and doubt take over.
How many times have you been on a roll where you are 100 percent in the positive thought process zone? Then all of a sudden, a negative thought comes racing out of nowhere and the tower of positive intention you constructed collapses as though someone yanked the cornerstone from its very foundation. This used to happen to me a lot. Realize, as I did, that you must make a shift from a fear-based paradigm to a higher level of thinking where you expect successful outcomes. Expect positive solutions to problems and results to your endeavors. You will get more than you realize.
So to the five individuals whom I mentioned earlier, who feel they have no control over their destiny, I urge you to take control of your thoughts and channel them toward more positive outcomes in your life. And, most of all, I want you to realize that Your Mind Does Not Have a Mind of Its Own.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.
I submit that you are at the mercy of your mind, if you cannot control your thoughts. Your thoughts can rule or serve you. Yes, our thoughts really do shape the events in our lives. Positive outcomes are born of positive expectations, and negative outcomes are born of negative expectations. Conditioning of thought based on past experiences is perhaps the major determining factor in what we expect to happen in our daily lives.
Let me demonstrate how this worked for me. About six years ago, I was trying to buy a business. The day was fast approaching for me to take control of the business, but I did not have the many thousands of dollars needed to purchase it. Imagine my mental state in the days leading up to that day. I was in complete turmoil. After some deep prayer and meditation, a state of calm came over me. That omnipresent-present inner voice said, "Proceed. It will be OK." I trusted that message and went forth with the plan, and a well-connected friend introduced me to a local banker who, on the day of the scheduled sale, came through with some eleventh-hour financing. I received this wonderful news via my cell phone as I drove with my advisers (who thought I was crazy, by the looks on their faces, because they knew that I did not have the money to complete the transaction) to meet with the seller and conclude the purchase of the business.
So the sale went through and I had myself a business. Had I listened to my friends, business associates and those nay-saying inner demons, as I had done so many times in the past, it would never have happened. Everything worked out with this deal, because my expectations were absolutely positive and affirming. My desires were aligned with my expectations, and I did not let a fear-based thought process develop around this deal. Remember, success and positive outcomes — not failure — are the natural order for us.
Many times our expectations are not aligned with what we want or desire. Many of us, and I still do it sometimes, set a goal or objective that we believe could change our lives. Way deep down in our core we really want this thing (a job-house-business-relationship, etc.). But at the same time, we allow the voice of fear and doubt to speak louder than our internal divine cheerleader who encourages us and gives us faith, hope and guidance. When we allow this to happen, the result is that we don't achieve our goal or get what we want. Remember, you control which voice you will listen to. It is totally up to you to let the internal divine cheerleader speak, or let the demonic voice of fear and doubt take over.
How many times have you been on a roll where you are 100 percent in the positive thought process zone? Then all of a sudden, a negative thought comes racing out of nowhere and the tower of positive intention you constructed collapses as though someone yanked the cornerstone from its very foundation. This used to happen to me a lot. Realize, as I did, that you must make a shift from a fear-based paradigm to a higher level of thinking where you expect successful outcomes. Expect positive solutions to problems and results to your endeavors. You will get more than you realize.
So to the five individuals whom I mentioned earlier, who feel they have no control over their destiny, I urge you to take control of your thoughts and channel them toward more positive outcomes in your life. And, most of all, I want you to realize that Your Mind Does Not Have a Mind of Its Own.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.