A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. – Mahatma Gandhi
I just wrote an article for Out of Bounds that has me thinking…. about thinking. We, understandably, give a great deal of thought to our habits, actions, words, achievements, and so on. But we often fail to acknowledge where they all come from in the first place: Our thoughts.
If we tend to fall for the same old habits or make the same mistakes over and over again, maybe the place to actually start is in our minds. If we can find (and address) the origins of our every word, reaction, and action, then we’ll stand a much better chance of actually changing the entire process and altering the outcome.
Click through to check out the article for yourself: New Thoughts. New Lifestyle. New Life.
“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.” – Bill Meyer
This is so true. Our thoughts and beliefs determine how we interact with the world, how we treat others, and what we do during our day. If you want to change a behavior, a lot of the time you have to change the thoughts behind that behavior, first. Great post! I’m going to go read the linked article now.
I really enjoyed reading your article and totally agree with it, but I am a little cunfused about the picture of the cat.
Steven, Thanks! As for Senor Gato… he looks deep in thought to me, so I thought he was appropriate for a post about thinking. What I recognize as beautiful cat thinking is probably just a beautiful cat fixing to take a nap…
Pam, thanks! It really gives you something to think about – if you pardon the pun!
It is said that everything is created twice, first in the mind, then in reality. What we put on our minds are our probable actions, the problem though is that we capitalize much on the negative than the positive. For example, most people will focus their thought on a certain problem that they forget to find a solution. Consequently, they suffer from this negative habit. 🙂
Walter, I love that – it’s all so true. We should all spend more time alone with our thoughts and hold them accountable for where they’re leading us!
This is a very profound post that left me thinking as well about man’s valuation of his mind. Particularly, man has been gifted with a will – purposefully so, if I may add – so that to what ends the thoughts, ideas and opinion springs from the powerful mind, man would determine accordingly. Because while it is true that man is defined by his way of thinking, what he does about his thoughts could make him a better person – or the opposite, if he lets the negative thinking dictate his action or reaction, his speech and his deeds. I hope more and more people would know that they are very much capable to weigh their thoughts before it could be translated into words or actions.
Great article! I do focus on what I think about throughout the day. The difference between two people is their thoughts. As a man thinks, so he is.
PS. Like the cat picture, deep in thought 😉
Johnson, I think we’d all soar beyond our wildest dreams if we learned to harness our thoughts… AFTER making our thoughts as productive and constructive as possible. And, thanks, I love the cat too. He looks lost in thought… probably wondering if he’ll eat more of his lunch or just go back to bed.
I love black cats! Love this picture! But thats beside the point! I’ve always been about positive thinking. Our thoughts will shape our lives! Love your site Joi!
-Susan