Do Your Thoughts Really Determine Your Destiny?
There are many books and quotes refering to your thoughts and the impact they have on your life. For example, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't - you're right." - Henry Ford, and "Watch your thoughts: They become your words. Watch your words: They become your actions. Watch your actions: They become your habits. Watch your habits: They become your character. Watch your character: It becomes your destiny." - This quote is attributed to many authors. The original author was Frank Outlaw, the creator of a successful U.S. Supermarket chain. Dr. Caroline Leaf says in her book, Switch on Your Brain, "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."
In addition to these and many others, the Bible has quite a bit to say about your thoughts. Some Scriptures are: Romans 12:2 "Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Changing the way you think changes your perspective. You can reframe the way you look at the circumstances of your life. Instead of being overwhelmed by the negative, you can see some good that can come from the situations you are dealing with. Philippians 4:8-9 "Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things...and the God of peace will be with you." So, if you are tired of being anxious and stressed, change what you are thinking about. Take those thoughts captive by changing what you focus on.
An exciting development is that more and more, science is discovering the power of your mind. Recently, I have been reading quite a bit about neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to continuously change over a lifetime. There is a short course you can view on Khan Academy which explains this concept as Growth Mindset. Here is the link:
If you are interested in hearing "10 Ways Neuroscience and Scripture Align to Help You Flourish" you can listen to Dr. Lee Warren's podcast on this link: https://youtu.be/LjeigU1EazE
He has also written several books, one of which is: The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life It is available on Amazon.com
In conclusion, what you focus on, is what grows. Your perception is your reality. What you allow into your mind influences you. My hope is that this post will encourage you in your life journey to realize that where ever you are in life, if you want your life to be better, you can make the changes needed to accomplish that goal. You have been equipped by your Creator to do so. God bless you!
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