Thoughts become Things
The first step in leadership is self-development and in my opinion, the first step in self-development is thought control or controlling the mind. Thought control means encouraging positive thoughts and rejecting/discouraging negative thoughts. As the famous quote goes, “Watch what you think, it becomes what you say. Watch what you say, it becomes what you do. Watch what you do, it becomes your character. Watch your character; it determines what your future will be like.”
Swami Sivananda says, “The mind is like a wheel which revolves endlessly with tremendous velocity. It generates new thoughts with every revolution.” Solitude, concentration, meditation, chanting and good books can slow down the wheel. We are a sum total of two types of thoughts viz. our experiences in life which feed thoughts externally and thoughts which cross our mind without any conscious or direct external influence. Our external experiences (and resultant thoughts) can be difficult or sometimes impossible to control but the thoughts which keep crossing our mind are controllable.
Swami Sivananda explains the Raja Yoga technique of thought control, “Cultivate positive virtuous thoughts of mercy, love, purity, forgiveness, integrity, generosity, humility, etc., in the garden of your mind. The negative vicious thoughts of hatred, lust, anger, greed, pride, etc., will die by themselves. It is difficult to destroy the evil thoughts by attacking them directly. You will have to tax your will and waste your energy.” He adds, “Thought moves. Thought is a living dynamic force. Thought is a thing. If you allow your mind to dwell on a sublime thought, this thought will attract good thoughts from others. You pollute the world with your bad thoughts. You help the world with your good thoughts.”
Nithya Shanti, Spiritual guru says that our outer reality is the exact reflection of our inner reality. It takes lot of time, effort and experience to realise the power of our thoughts. Mastering our mind, our thoughts and our beliefs (and mental barriers) is a tough exercise initially but is definitely worth doing. The wonders which we invite in our life by mastering our mind are worth the effort.
Over a period of time, whatever we are thinking is materialising into things. It can be objects of material prosperity and it can be objects of material poverty, both reflecting the state of our mind. We are what we are and where we are because of what has gone in our mind. We can change what we are and where we are by changing what goes into our mind. So ultimately it is our thoughts only which determine the quality of our life.
Whatever a pure mind strongly believes in, it soon manifests. Our thoughts are powerful in proportion to our effort, intensity, depth, and warmth. Constant thinking, desiring or cherishing of the same idea results in the materialization of that idea. My spiritual guru also says, “Our deepest and most persistent intentions automatically get tattooed on our soul. Be mindful what you aspire for. Make it beautiful.”
If we have the abundance mentality, the universe has enough for all of us. The new management concept of ‘Blue ocean strategy’ is also based on the power of thinking. It is based on the premise that market boundaries and industry structure are very much alterable by our actions and beliefs. The market boundaries exist only in managers’ minds; believers of Blue Ocean do not let existing market structures limit their decisions and thinking. The extra demand is out there and the only problem is how we create it. A paradigm mental shift from supply to demand is required; our goals can be easily achieved through the creation of innovative value to unlock new demand.
Once we have realised this and start making our thoughts positive and prosperous, we start a miraculous journey. I will share my short poem.
Don’t worry about the debacle; it’s only a preparation for the miracle
Let the beautiful thoughts flow, and soon you will see the glow
Let the positive emotions run high, a smile will soon replace the sigh
Spoil the child in you and, just relax and spare the rod
The success will be mind blowing, if you retain the faith in God
Napoleon Bonaparte says, “When I want to think of things more pleasant, I close the cupboards of my mind revealing the more unpleasant things of life, and open up the cupboards containing the more pleasant thoughts. If I want to sleep, I close up all the cupboards of mind!”
We unconsciously attract every living being and unfold our inner powers through the conquest of thought power. Our strength, our intellect and the lustre increase in proportion to our positive thoughts. Take the case of Mira. She turned poison into nectar with her intense thoughts. The mind is omnipotent and is capable of accomplishing everything. Thought is a powerful instrument and forms our character. We are born with what we have thought upon, and our present character is an index of our previous thoughts. Hence we must be vigilant and allow only good thoughts to enter our mind.
“Whenever you permit yourself to think what other persons, things, conditions or circumstances may suggest, you are not following what you want to think. You are not following your own desires but borrowed desires. Use your imagination in determining what you want to think or do.” Christian D. Larson
As Nithya says, “Our personality is just an aggregation of habitual thoughts, emotions and actions.” So my dear sculptor, take the chisel and get ready to sculpt your life into a beautiful idol, an idol you will be proud of.
“You are the masterpiece of your own life. You are the Michelangelo of your experience. The David that you are sculpting is you and you do it with your thoughts.” Dr Joe Vitale
Leading with Spirituality is a monthly column on Leadership and Spirituality in Spiritual Lounge, emagazine.
To read the archives in the series, Leading with Spirituality, click the link below
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Dr Amit Nagpal is a Personal Branding Consultant with a holistic touch. To know more about him click here:-
http://www.dramitnagpal.co.in/p/about-us.html
He may be reached at amitknagpal@gmail.com
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