I gave a workshop this week and the title was "How to keep your power through difficult times". It was a great experience because apart from the fact that a couple of people who had never opened up to some hidden aspects of themselves, did so and did so publicly (sharing yourself in front of others is VERY powerful), something very curious happened.
One participant waited for everyone to leave so he could tell us (myself and my colleague who was presenting the workshop with me) that he felt extremely annoyed about what one person said and it was our responsibility to have stopped that person from speaking.
I asked him: "What stopped you from speaking up and sharing your thoughts about it in the group instead of waiting for everyone to leave?"
I will not get into the details about where that conversation led, yet the importance of what I am sharing is that OUR THOUGHTS have the power to stop us dead in our tracks or to help us fly higher than we ever imagined possible.
Have you ever stopped to think about the quality of your thoughts?
How is your precious energy (in the form of thought) being spent most of the days?
Do you have any control over them? Do they know who is BOSS? By the way, who is boss, you or your thoughts?
If you are willing to slow down from the hustle and bustle of life and sit quietly for a short while, you will realize the vast amount of thoughts that cross your mind at any given moment. They keep coming, all the time, all random thoughts. The bad news is they are mostly negative (it is our human nature to have negative, fearful, worrisome, doubtful thoughts) the good news is that one can practice and through practice, perfectly go beyond his thoughts. Like any other thing to be mastered, it takes practice to control and focus your mind, yet it is no doubt the biggest gift you will ever give yourself! Much better than attaining a gym membership for one year, much cheaper than joining a yoga studio and oh so much more powerful than listening to anyone's motivational speech.
I can't stress enough the importance of the book by James Allen, "As a Man Thinketh" published in 1902. This is a gem of a book and every page is important.
James Allen talks about the power our thoughts exert upon us and focuses the reader's attention on the quality of her own thoughts. Allen goes on to talk about how important it is to have a purpose in life. A purpose that will have you longing to get somewhere, do something, be someone and through that keep your thoughts focused and far away from fears, worries, doubts and judgements.
Today, a few lines from the book stood out for me and I will share them with you.
"As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.
To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully."
Practice noticing your thoughts. Practice focusing your thoughts. Practice makes perfect! If you encounter failure along the way, think nothing of it. Thank your lucky stars for the learning opportunity and carry on practicing!
One participant waited for everyone to leave so he could tell us (myself and my colleague who was presenting the workshop with me) that he felt extremely annoyed about what one person said and it was our responsibility to have stopped that person from speaking.
I asked him: "What stopped you from speaking up and sharing your thoughts about it in the group instead of waiting for everyone to leave?"
I will not get into the details about where that conversation led, yet the importance of what I am sharing is that OUR THOUGHTS have the power to stop us dead in our tracks or to help us fly higher than we ever imagined possible.
Have you ever stopped to think about the quality of your thoughts?
How is your precious energy (in the form of thought) being spent most of the days?
Do you have any control over them? Do they know who is BOSS? By the way, who is boss, you or your thoughts?
If you are willing to slow down from the hustle and bustle of life and sit quietly for a short while, you will realize the vast amount of thoughts that cross your mind at any given moment. They keep coming, all the time, all random thoughts. The bad news is they are mostly negative (it is our human nature to have negative, fearful, worrisome, doubtful thoughts) the good news is that one can practice and through practice, perfectly go beyond his thoughts. Like any other thing to be mastered, it takes practice to control and focus your mind, yet it is no doubt the biggest gift you will ever give yourself! Much better than attaining a gym membership for one year, much cheaper than joining a yoga studio and oh so much more powerful than listening to anyone's motivational speech.
I can't stress enough the importance of the book by James Allen, "As a Man Thinketh" published in 1902. This is a gem of a book and every page is important.
James Allen talks about the power our thoughts exert upon us and focuses the reader's attention on the quality of her own thoughts. Allen goes on to talk about how important it is to have a purpose in life. A purpose that will have you longing to get somewhere, do something, be someone and through that keep your thoughts focused and far away from fears, worries, doubts and judgements.
Today, a few lines from the book stood out for me and I will share them with you.
"As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.
To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully."
Practice noticing your thoughts. Practice focusing your thoughts. Practice makes perfect! If you encounter failure along the way, think nothing of it. Thank your lucky stars for the learning opportunity and carry on practicing!
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