How Are You Re-Wiring Your Brain?

As someone thinks within himself, so he is.

-Proverbs 23:7

I like to learn, as I may have mentioned once or 12 times before, and I like to learn in order to improve the person others meet.  One of the things I have been learning, with a LOT of prompting and more than a few pokes between the eyes, is that I need to rewire my brain.  Now, that might sound easy enough, but have you ever tried it?  

Part of rewiring the brain involves rewriting what's already in there.  There are thoughts, concepts, ideas, judgments, preconceptions, anger, prejudices, and all other kind of critters hiding in the recesses of my cranial goop.  Dr. Caroline Leaf, in her book 'Switch On Your Brain', states: "As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts."  Therefore, whatever I am putting into my mind is changing my thought patterns.  Thus, when I focus on anger or judgments or revenge or all the negative thoughts, I am, quite literally, rewiring my brain to think that way.

If I want to change the WAY I think I must change WHAT I think about. In order to change WHAT I think about, I need to follow Jesus' teaching in Matthew 4:17 - "Jesus picked up where John left off: 'Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.'”  Think about this more practically...if you find your favorite shirt has a stain on it, do you keep wearing it or do you wash it to remove the stain?

God has given us a GREAT gift...our brain.  With that great gift comes a GREAT responsibility...our attitudes, thoughts, responses, thoughts, kindnesses, thoughts, concepts, thoughts...get the picture?  Is it time to rewire?

What Are You Thinking?

Be careful what you think,
    because your thoughts run your life.

Proverbs 4:23 

 

I've been reading a book about Cognitive Therapy which is extremely interesting.  According to the author, our bodies can not function without a command from our minds.  Even our "automatic" functions such a breathing and blinking require a command from our minds.  Our moods are a decision we make, believe it or not. If I want to change my mood, I have to make the conscious to not only change my thinking, but change my actions as well.  If I need to change a habit, I must make the conscious decision to replace that habit with a better habit.

 

Given that our minds are so powerful, shouldn't we be careful what we allow in?  

What Are Your Thoughts?

Those who live following their sinful selves think only about things that their sinful selves want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about the things the Spirit wants them to do.

Romans 8:5 

 

The mind is an amazing thing, isn't it?  Just consider some of the things minds have done: Created the airplane, designed skyscrapers, decided that snails were tasty, found that peanut bitter makes everything better, decided that adding cheese to a hamburger patty was a good thing, figured out how to make indoor plumbing a reality, painted the Sistine Chapel, carved David from a block of marble...the list is endless.  But there are other things our minds have come up with: Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jim Jones, Charles Manson, and far too many others to contemplate.

 

Guess what makes these two creations different?  The focus of our minds!  I am one of those weird people who believe that our minds take the information we feed it, and processes it into actions.  Therefore, we have to be EXTREMELY careful what we allow into our minds!  Where your mind is, your actions will follow!

What Are You Thinking About?

If people’s thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if their thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace. 

Romans 8:6 

 

What do you think would happen if our every thought appeared in a bubble above our heads for everyone to see?  There would be a LOT of uncomfortable explaining to do, I think. Imagine thinking to yourself how you wanted to eliminate someone from their position so you could replace them, and then you suddenly remember everyone could read your thought bubble!  Imagine someone hits a puddle near the curb where you are standing and you get soaked, what would your thought bubble declare?

 

Imagine what would happen if you were asked, "How does my hair look?" and your honest answer pops up in a bubble above your head.  When Mom asks "How was school today?" and you realize that you cannot pull off the sullen "okay" because the truth is in your thought bubble.

 

We tend to keep quite a lot of information in our minds.  Our words may say one thing while our minds are screaming the truth.  Imagine how much trouble I would have gotten into when Gramma asked me who took some of her cookies?  I mean, aside from having cookie stuck in my teeth, my thought bubble would give me away.

 

Consider this: Thought always precedes action!  Every single time!  Or as that insightful theologian, George Carlin, once put it, "The church taught me that if you think it....you've done it, so save your cab fare!"  God not only witnesses our every action, but He also witnesses what we think.  Scripture reminds us "We look at what we can see, but God sees what we think" (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

We must be mindful of our thoughts, because from our thoughts come our words and deeds.

Thankful for Thinking

 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 

Did you know that everything we say and do is preceded by a thought?  Every breath and other automatic responses of our body is regulated by a thought from the limbic portion of the brain.  Then we have the part of the brain that determines what we think about and what we say and some of the more manual motor skills.  And guess from where all these thoughts are being issued?  That's right, our brain.

So, let me ask you....what do you fill your brain with?  The brain is just one of God's amazing gifts and, if used properly, can benefit all those around us.  The brain...that old grey goop that keeps our ears from slapping together.  That incredible information sponge that soaks up a lot more than we think.  Yet, what do we put into this sponge?

Look at what Paul reminds us to fill our minds with: things that are true and honorable; things that are right and pure; things that are lovely and admirable; things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Did you find anything about gossip?  How about anything about how you can get ahead in your career?  Did you see anything about lust or adultery or anything negative?  Why?  Because our thoughts are controlled by the things we fill our brains with.  Fill your mind with the positive and the things for which we should be thankful, then you will see positive people.  Fill your mind with rubbish and you will see negative people.

Thankful for such an incredible gift as a mind!  Fill it carefully!

#dailythankfulchallenge 

Just Thinking....

Be careful how you think for your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Proverbs 4:23

Remember the old computer adage "Garbage In, Garbage Out"?  Yeah, I'm old enough to remember that and you may stop chuckling any time now.  The reason I bring it up is so we can consider our minds.  Think about all that out minds absorb every single day.  Our eyes see things, our ears hear things, our nose smells things, out skin touches things, and the mind processes everything (whether we like it, understand it, or not).

I've noted before that one of my favorite theologians is George Carlin for the mere fact that he  made me think.  He got it right when he said, "The church was all about the mind.  If you think it....you've done it so save your cab fare!"  And he wasn't kidding.

Sun Tzu, considered the father of modern warfare, said: "Convince the enemy you are stronger then he and you have already won the battle."  Isn't that what our enemy does to us?  Doesn't he convince us that "it's just a thought, no harm, no foul"?  Yet consider this, Thought precedes action!  

In Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul reminds us where to focus our thoughts:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is WORTHY OF RESPECT, whatever is JUST, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is COMMENDABLE, if something is EXCELLENT or PRAISEWORTHY, think about these things.

Be careful what you let into your mind.  That which controls your mind IS your god!

Let's Be Honest

May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 

 

I've been honest and have mentioned that I'm not exactly a chipper morning person (before coffee).  But l want to take this a bit further....there are times when I feel the stress and frustrations and anxieties of life that I can get more than a bit cranky.  And during those times, my words and my thoughts are usually not expressing "God's Blessings Upon Thee."  Having confessed that, I must also add, most days are not like this. 

 

Let me put it another way, when you wander into the kitchen in the dark for water and you stub your toe or hit your shin, do your thoughts and words reflect "May God Rain Down His Love Upon Me"?  Probably not.  However, once that incident has subsided, we return to our normal caring selves.

 

I've had to learn something (again) over the last several weeks, God allows us to be put in situations where we get stretched so we can grow.  And He will continue to allow it until we learn what He wants us to learn.  I openly admit that I am stubborn and learn slowly at times.  But I also admit that I am thankful for the opportunity to learn.

 

How about you?

I Have Lots of "Friends".....

A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

 

I am often astounded by the number of "friends" people have on Facebook.  I am even more astounded by the people we so willingly call friends.  One person contacted me on Facebook to ask me a question, when I looked at their profile I saw they had over 500 "friends."  

 

Way back when I was growing up, with the baby dinosaurs, I was taught that there are only three kinds of people in life: 

*     Strangers (people we have not met), 

*     Acquaintances (people with whom we have met and will greet in passing) and 

*     Friends (those who would not only stick with you through anything and everything, but probably were the ones who got you into trouble in the first place). 

 

The photo for today is of my buddy.  His name is Woody Bear.  When I come home from work, or the store, or from the mailbox, or from taking the trash out, Woody Bear greets me like I have been gone forever.  When it is time for morning coffee and Quiet Time, Woody Bear is right there with me wanting to be close and wanting to remind me that he loves me.  I can tell him ANYTHING and he'll not change his opinion of me.

 

Be careful of who you allow to get close to you.  Remember Julius Caesar?  He allowed Brutus to get close to him and Brutus ended up helping kill Caesar.  

 

Don't like drama? Go through your group of friends and drop the ones who create drama.  Don't like sushi?  Go through your group of friends and drop the ones who insist you have to eat sushi.

 

WE select our friends.  Make sure you are a Friend worth having.  Benjamin Franklin once wrote: "If you would have a friend, first BE a friend!" 

 

 

Moments

Then they came to the city of Jericho. When He was leaving the city with His followers and many people, a blind man was sitting by the road. He was asking people for food or money as they passed by. His name was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He began to speak with a loud voice, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!” Many people spoke sharp words to the blind man telling him not to call out like that. But he spoke all the more. He said, “Son of David, take pity on me.” Jesus stopped and told them to call the blind man. They called to him and said, “Take hope! Stand up, He is calling for you!” As he jumped up, he threw off his coat and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Lord, I want to see!” Jesus said, “Go! Your faith has healed you.” At once he could see and he followed Jesus down the road.

~Mark 10:46-52 

Moments.  Think about this!  Our lives are made up of moments.  Every photograph we take is merely a moment in time.  Every memory is of a moment in time.  

      * I don't remember being born; 

      * I can barely remember this morning;  

      * I do remember the moment my daughter was born. 

      * I have lots of pictures of friends and moments spent with them.

      * I remember the face of my first girlfriend (3rd grade. She gave me a baseball sized wad of Plasti-Tack and that won me over).

I recently took time to look back through my high school yearbook from my senior year.  WOW! And we thought we were on the cutting edge of awesome.  Then I started reading the comments people wrote in my yearbook....many of them were the cliche: "Have a great summer" and "Don't ever change" written by people in a hurry and who didn't know me all that well (or found me annoying but wanted to appear to be nice).  But then there were the people who wrote about specific moments in our friendship. Like when we rode innertubes down the Saluda River, or when we pulled a prank that backfired and ended up squishing into the midnight movies because we were soaked from head to toe.  And then there were some that we won't discuss.

But each represents a moment in life.  A memory.  I am convinced that, while we live in a continuum, our minds work on a stream of moments.  

Think about Jesus' ministry.  The writers of the Gospels captured moments in Jesus' life.  Look at today's passage...Bartimaeus was blind.  During this time in history, if you were different from everyone else, you were thought to be cursed by God.  Bart was blind, so he must have been cursed by God and he lived each day going through the same motions of the only job available to him which was begging.  Then Jesus comes along.  Bart hears the crowds of people and probably believes that a lot of people in a group could mean he could get a little extra from begging.

THEN Bart hears someone in the crowd say that Jesus is in the crowd.  So Bart has a quick decision to make, he can continue to live his life as a blind beggar or he can seize the moment and see if Jesus really can help him.  So Bart takes his moment and starts to yell at the top of his lungs calling for Jesus to take pity on him and help him.  Now, some of the crowd want Bart to shut up and not interfere with this great teacher, because Jesus has "more important" things to attend to than a God-cursed-blind-beggar. BUT Jesus stops!  He tells those close to Bart to bring him over, which they do.  Then Jesus asks Bart what he wants.  

Again, Bart has a choice to make.  Again, Bart seizes the moment and tells Jesus that he wants to see.  Jesus, in that moment, heals Bart and in that moment removes Bart excuse to continue expecting others to care for him.  In a moment! 

Our lives are made up of moments! Bart seized his and made it count.  Will You? 

Brains.....They're Actually Useful!

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Ephesians 4:26-27

Remember Paul and Barnabas?  They spent years traveling together taking the Gospel message of Christ to places who had never heard such news before.  Barnabas was the one who actually got Paul and the Disciples in the same place to talk, because Paul, after all, had been Saul and had been going about the countryside terrorizing and punishing Christians.  And after years on the road together, Paul and Barnabas had a rather strong disagreement (Acts 15:39).

Paul was like a snapping turtle in the regard that once he set his mind to something, nothing was going to stop him.  He was, how can I say this politely, STUBBORN and hard-headed.  Which might explain why God chose to blind Saul in order to get his attention and turn him into Paul.

Have you ever been so angry with someone that you couldn't think of anything else?  Couldn't enjoy any activities?  Turned your whole mood to that of a rabid badger in a bad mood without coffee?  So angry that you couldn't sleep which made things worse the next morning because you were still ticked off AND now you're extra irritated because you're tired.  I have.  And there was not enough coffee in the world to make it any better.

Notice that Paul reminds us to not let our anger control us.  Anger, in and of itself, is not wrong.  BUT when we choose to hang on to the anger....that is when we get into trouble.  

Try this: next time you get angry, pick up a rock and squeeze it as hard as you can.  Eventually, you will get tired of squeezing and let it go.  

We can do the same thing with our anger.  Squeeze it....look at it from every perspective.....and then ask yourself, "Is my getting angry REALLY going to resolve this issue?"  You see, anger is a reflexive reaction and is an easier response.  A proactive action would be to see a situation, accept that we don't agree with it, and make a plan to find a peaceful resolution, which makes it unpopular because we have to actually think.

Remember, God gave us brains to actually use for something other than a way to keep our ears apart!  

On The Other Side

 Then the devil left Jesus. And heavenly messengers came and ministered to Him.

~Matthew 4:11

It's not easy having to learn new things, is it? But we have to learn new things throughout our lives. 

We learn new life skills from experiences like: 

     *  sidewalks have invisible speed bumps, teaching us to be careful.

     *  when you are pressed for time, the slowest person ever will get in your way, thus teaching us to either be patient if we are paying attention.

     *  when someone is hurting, we learn what to say and when to shut up.

We learn more difficult skills through experience if we are willing.  

     *  When dealing with difficult people, we learn to stand up for ourselves even when our insides have turned to jelly.  

     *  When we deal with persistent salespeople we learn to say "No Thank You" and walk away.

     *  When we are hurting and feeling weak, we must learn to let others help us and minister to us.

I like helping people. I like talking with people who need counsel.  I like being able to minister to others. But I am not so good being on the other side of that.  Recently, my Bride and I have been enduring a situation that was draining us and stressing us, yet together we are learning that we are not alone, we are loved, and we will become stronger.  And this from learning to let others minister to us.

Did you know that even Jesus had allow Himself to be helped? After dealing with 40 days of no food, Jesus was exhausted and weak from hunger.  THAT is the very moment when the enemy decided to take action.  And he still does that today; when we are mentally, emotionally, financially exhausted and at the end of our endurance, THAT is when the enemy will attack us through other people.

Jesus relied on God for strength and endurance.  WHEN Jesus had endured and came out of that battle in the right, God sent His own angels to care for Jesus's needs.  

Jesus had to stand strong through the battle, and God gave Him the strength, and then gave Him the comfort when the battle was over.  Jesus, who helped so many people had to learn to let others help even Him.

My bride and I are being taught two lessons from this time in our lives:

     1.  God is in control.

     2.  We must be strong in this battle and do what is right, even if we don't like it.

    3.  When the battle is over, God will minister and restore.

It Starts With You!

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

 

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

~Ephesians 4:2-6 

As you know, I like to think.  Not just think, but contemplate.  Contemplation is exploratory thinking.  You take a thought and you explore it; you look at it from as many possible perspectives as possible; you turn it over and over in your mind; you touch every crevice and edge; you delve into the every corner.  

Well....I started contemplating Morale. And guess what I discovered?  Morale starts with me!  Good morale is MY decision!  Bad morale is MY decision!  I cannot always control my circumstances, but I can control my responses to my circumstances.  

Look at the words Paul writes to us...."Always be HUMBLE and GENTLE."  Does it say always be ticked off and aggravated because I don't think things are being done the way I want?  Absolutely not!  

"Be PATIENT with each other..."  REALLY?  Do we do that? I'm not always so good at doing that, but I am learning and trying.  Be patient..."making allowances for each other's faults."  Will this one punched me in the forehead!  I am not only am supposed to be patient with others, I am supposed to make allowances for them too!  WOW!  

And just when I am ready to punch the Venerable Apostle in the face, "making every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit."  Well now....if we are to be united in the Spirit [of God] then we are to be completely honest with each other.  If you ask my opinion, I should respect you enough to tell you the truth, even if it's not what you want to hear.  If I tell you only what you want to hear then THAT is proof that I have NO respect for you.  We lie to those we have no respect for.

Paul is reminding us that WE are either uniting or dividing.  We are either part of the same body or we are the cancer within the body.  WE must choose which we will be; honest and truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient or dishonest because it will get us what we think we want.

Bottom line: We CHOOSE to our morale!

 

Loner's Got To Be Alone

One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires;
he rejects all sound judgment.

Proverbs 18:1

We've all seen them...the "loner" who is portrayed as some hardcore survivalist who can do everything alone and they like it that way.  Nothing bothers them. They don't follow anyone's rules but their own.  They eat when they want (whatever they can find or catch), do what they want, where they want and no one is going to tell them anything! They believe they can live all by themselves without going insane or paranoid.  And yet...

Remember God?  When He created everything He said it was good...until He got to man.  When He breathed life into Adam, God said "It's not good for man to be alone."  Why?  Because God created us to be interactive with each other.  But somewhere along the way, the interactive part became rather cliquish and exclusive.  If you didn't fit into the cliques then you were considered a "loser" and, thus, a loner.  

I admit that I enjoy doing some things alone. When I go for my mandatory walks, I like to go alone because that is my thinking time.  When I write, I like to do that alone because my train of thought doesn't have to make frequent stops due at Chatty Town.  Understand, I am an Introvert!  Very much an Introvert.  In a large gathering, I am perfectly happy to stay on the fringe, quietly watching the people interact with one another (why YES I did notice this is your 4th trip to the buffet line.  Yes, I did note your 3rd trip to the dessert bar. I absolutely noticed how quickly that bottle of wine disappeared.)

But look at today's verse...it is reminding us that when we have only our own counsel to listen to, we will eventually spiral into a place where sense makes no sense anymore. When we reach the point where we stop listening because we are such a loner that we know everything (or so we think) we are doomed to ruin.

It might be a bit uncomfortable, but, as a devout Introvert, I can tell you that people really are pretty nice.  Why else would God allow so many of them? 

Treadmills are EVIL!!!!

And my God will supply every need of yours 

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:19

While you are reading this, I am having my Nuclear Stress Test (aka, my cardiologist's idea of fun for me).  Last time I had one of these, I admit I was terrified.  The entire night before the test I was anxious, worried, not looking forward to enduring such torture.  I was stressed WAY before the stress test!

But the more I thought about it over the years, I have come to realize that God is the one in control.  And He is in control of EVERYTHING!  So why worry?

Grampa once told me: "What have YOU got to be worried about? God gave you life and it's HIS job to get you through it!"  So....today I am letting God do His work with me and I will be grateful when the snack breaks come around.  I need coffee!!!

 

Could You Be A Saint?

God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.  

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. 

And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Romans 8:21-24

 

I watched the Bill Murray movie entitled "St. Vincent" over the Labor Day weekend and found it to be, on the whole, rather enjoyable.  The part of the movie that truly stuck out for me was near the end.  If you haven't seen the movie and want to, sorry....spoiler alert!  Bill Murray is excellent at playing the sarcastic, frumpy, grumpy, ne'er do well type of character and this is no exception.  Over and over he tries to do something right and fails miserably...or so we are led to believe.

 

The ending made me think about the question that was asked of the students at the Catholic School in the movie: "What makes a Saint?"  Oliver, the young boy in the movie, perfectly explains that a Saint is a flawed human being who does things for the good of others through sacrifices.  In this movie, as in life, the true good deeds do not seem to be a significant part of the storyline, but, in fact, they are the entire point of the storyline!  

 

Saints are not people who are perfect! Because perfection is not something we, as humans, can achieve on this dirtball.  We are flawed!  We are screw-ups!  We are imperfect in every since of the word!  Yet some people seem to stand out for their goodness.  I listened to the speech Oliver gave in the movie over and over and realized there are saints all around us, but we just don't seem to see them.  We take them for granted!  We look right over them and their efforts.  Yet they keep on doing good for others.

I beg you to watch this clip and see if you would qualify to be a saint.  It's never too late to start becoming one.

 

 

God Is How Big?

And we know that God causes everything to work

 together for the good of those who love God and are 

called according to his purpose for them.

~Romans 8:28

 

 

This verse seems to be unclear for many, so let's take a look at it.  How big is God to you?  Is God only God when you think you need Him?  Is God only God when you find yourself on the horns of a dilemma? Is God the one you say "thank you" to at mealtime?  Is God the one you call to when things are not going according to your plan?  Is God surprised by the things we do, think, or say?  Is God ever taken off guard?  Can we hide from God?

 

Let me be blunt...

     * God is the God who spoke the entirety of everything into creation.  

     * God is the God who took dust, shaped it, and breathed life into it and called his breath bag "Adam."  

     * God is the one who told the sea that they can only come so far and no farther.  

     * God is the one who named every single star.  

     * God is the one who knows exactly how many hairs you have.  

     * God is the one who satan has to report to, and God also has set limits on satan (not to mention has already defeated him). 

     * God is the one who knows everything about everything because He made everything.

     * God is the one who tells us not to worry because He has everything under control.

     * God is the one who reminds us to let Him fight our battles for us.

     * God is the one who has never lied.

     * God is the one who cannot be defeated.

     * God is a LOT smarter than we could ever hope to be.

     * God is ALWAYS with us even when we can't see Him because we are focused on our storms.

     * God is the God who takes our screw-ups, mistakes, blunders, and outright defiant rebellion and works it all for OUR good.

     * God is the one who woke you up this morning (and let you see the world around you).

     * God is the one who created all those amazing place we dream about going to relax.

     * God is the one who put the mountains in their place in such a way as to direct the winds.

     * God is also the one who put beaches at the edge of the ocean to draw us there.

     * God is the one who CALLS US BY NAME and loves us more than we will ever understand or appreciate.  He loves us IN SPITE of ourselves.

 

So let me ask you again, "Just how big is YOUR God?"

Focused Thinking Reveals Much

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is worthy of respect, 

whatever is just, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is commendable, 

if something is excellent or praiseworthy, 

think about these things.

~Philippians 4:8

 

Ever lost your train of thought?  Ever been so distracted that you forgot something important?  Ever tried to concentrate but found your mind wandering toward everything BUT what you needed to concentrate on? I have and still do.  Thinking is not as easy as it sounds.

 

Believe it or not, many people choose not to think!  They merely flow through their day following a stream of consciousness that is filled with rocks, rapids, clogs of stuff, and never seeming to stay on a thought for long.  Why is that?  Our society is one of speed and movement.  It is a visual society.  We no longer have time to read anything completely, much less study it, because we might miss the next fad or trend.  And as a result, we are quickly losing the ability to focus our thoughts and we are left to wonder why we are so stressed and exhausted.  

 

I consider myself to be a contemplative because I like to think!  I like to take time to think things through and try to perceive as many sides of a thought as possible.  I may have large ears but I am not Yoda, I'm just someone who likes to think.  I can sit and think for hours on end.  

 

Want to know why you are stressed and anxious? Take a look at what you allow into your mind. 

 

Want to know why you have trouble with relationships? What do you fill your mind with?

 

Want to know why you didn't get the promotion you wanted or thought you deserved?  Think it through and see if, perhaps, your skills are needed where you are.

 

You see, that with which we choose to fill our minds will impact every single aspect of our lives.  People who are hateful think hateful thoughts and allow others to fill their minds with hateful things.  Those who are cheerful fill their minds with positive thoughts and only allow positive thoughts into their minds (and have learned to look at what could be a negative situation and choose to look at it in a positive way).  

 

The philosopher, Rene Descartes, is credited with saying: "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am). We tend to become what we choose to fill our minds with.  By changing the way we think, we change the way we view the world around us.  And perceptions are very contagious, so make sure yours it one worth catching!