WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS

“The world we have created is a product of our thoughts;

It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

         These words by Albert Einstein, the outstanding German-born American Nobel laureate whose brilliant scientific and non-scientific works have qualified him as a genius, speak to the enormous power of our thoughts in our life.

         Most of us treat our thoughts as ‘passing visitors’ in our minds, without ever recognizing that the thoughts you express in words and the actions that result, determine the person you are, and the life you live. Whether at an unconscious level or by intention, once thoughts are formulated and released they carry with them certain definitive consequences which can forever affect us positively or negatively, in every aspect of our life.

         An ancient Chinese proverb that has been around for thousands of years and used in countless settings throughout the ages is still one of the most effective tools to serve to remind us of the sequence of the effects that thoughts have on subsequent behavior.  In a few simple steps, it traces the stages beginning with the thought and leading ultimately to the expression of one’s destiny:

“Be careful of your thoughts; your thoughts become your words.

 Be careful of your words; your words become your actions.

 Be careful of your actions; your actions become your habits.

 Be careful of your habits; your habits become your character.

 Be careful of your character, your character becomes your destiny.”

These wonderful and explicit words are as relevant today as they were over the previous millennia of human civilization. They have stood the test of time without change or modification. They trace in clear, demonstrable sequence the effect of our thoughts which generate words that can result in action. This action, if left unchecked, will develop into habits. Habits are the foundation of character, which ultimately will determine your destiny. 

         The message from this sequence relates specifically to the dynamic power held by our thoughts and the need to constantly keep them in check, so that we can ensure and secure our destiny. Equally, Buddha, the ancient Indian ascetic, whose teachings formed the foundation of Buddhism, recorded the following observation:

“What we think, we become.

All that we are, arises from our thoughts.

With our thoughts, we make the world.” 

And the Holy Bible, written many centuries later, is equally clear when, in Proverbs 4:23, the faithful are warned:

“Be careful how you think;

Your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

Our life is a perfect reflection of our thoughts, our beliefs and our attitude. All our actions, positive or negative, have their beginning from thoughts generated within us and converted into action. In the same context, every effect that we experience on the outside will also have a response within us. Because there are no random events in nature that can be ignored as inconsequential, it is incumbent on everyone to exercise every effort to maintain access of their thought processes and to actively learn how to control them and to direct them in the direction that will provide the greatest benefit. By doing this, they will ensure maximum benefit to their life, avoid unnecessary disappointments and failures. This will also ensure the optimum benefit to their life and ultimately, their destiny.

         William Shakespeare, perhaps the greatest English playwright of all times wrote, in his undoubtedly finest tragedy Julius Caesar, a comment which is considered among the most potent observations on human behavior ever recorded, when he noted:

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.”

The truth of the statement will surely resonate with every generation of humanity as it faces its conflicts with its thoughts.

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