As a man thinks in his
heart, so is he Proverbs 23:7
It took me some time to realise that my thinking correlated
with what I would become; that it had to be renewed if I were going to
accomplish my goals and be happy as I live out my divine purpose for being on
this planet.
I came upon the book by James Allen, the philosopher and
author of As A Man Thinketh, and realized that my negative thinking, my
pessimism, and my insecurities had to go, and my mindsets had to be so that I was
willing to accept change at any phase of my life.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
says in his book, FLOW, “One of the most
ironic paradoxes of our time is the great availability of leisure that somehow
fails to be translated into enjoyment.
Compared to people living only a few generations ago, we have enormously
greater opportunities to have a good time, yet there is no indication that we
actually enjoy life more than our ancestors did. Opportunities alone, however, are not
enough. We also need the skills to make
use of them. And we need to know how to control consciousness––a skill that
most people have not learned to cultivate. Surrounded by an astounding panoply
of recreational gadgets and leisure choices, most of us go on being bored and
vaguely frustrated.”
That meant, in my opinion, that I could not sit back and go
on never ending vacations, or constant buying, or any other thing, that was not
related to my purpose oriented life. Things
were not going to make me happy. Opportunities
that came my way had to be accepted, and my mind would be in a state of
constant renewal as I studied, learned and implemented.
As a person thinks in
his heart, so is he or she.
Are you happy with the way your life is?
Is there a yearning that you seem unable to fulfill?
What dominates your thinking?
Shalom,
Pat Garcia
Well stated Patricia! It is important to appreciate the small things in life... the flowers, the sun, the wildlife, your friends, the home over your head, etc. We have so much more than our ancestors had, but we don't appreciate what we have. We are always looking for something new. It is critical that we learn to appreciate us for who we are with the good, bad, and ugly. Your words are so wise.
ReplyDeleteHi My Dear Friend,
DeleteYes, so often we forget to appreciate the small things in life. We forget that nothing here on earth is eternal. I like your last sentence, It is critical that we learn to appreciate us for who we are with the good, bad, and ugly.
Thank you so very much for dropping by and sharing this wonderful thought.
Shalom,
Patricia
Appreciation is quite rare, Patti. It seems to me, in particular the past years, where it became common to see the big picture, the view on small things and our appreciation for them got very often lost. I love your post. You always make things sound so easy - and so clear. You are such an inspiration to me!
ReplyDeleteHi A. J.,
DeleteThank you very much A.J. That is really an honour. You're quite right. Appreciation is becoming rare and that is why it is so important for those who practice it to keep it going.
Shalom,
Patti
I agree with Gwynn and your response! I have nothing more to add to this. Well done!
ReplyDeleteHello My Dear Friend,
DeleteThank you for taking the time to read this and leave a comment. It is always a joy when I see you here.
Have a great weekend.
Shalom,
Patricia
So true! Life is all about change, no matter what generation we are in. Very often people think money, or "things" will make them happy. It is not true. We must search within ourselves and within our God to find true happiness. Well written!
ReplyDeleteHi Sis,
DeleteToo often we try to keep things at a still stand. I heard a song written by Nina Simone that changed my life. The lyrics say, everything must change, nothing remains the same. That is true but what we are too busy trying to keep things the way they are.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and for leaving a comment.
Shalom,
Patricia
Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Choose life. We forget how much power God gave us. We are not weaklings but warriors, we are not failures but success stories, we are not the imprisoned, but are more than conquers through Him who loves us. I personally have to remind myself of these things because the enemy, that ugly old devil is a constant nuisance shouting lies in my face, and making mountains out of molehills from the everyday little annoyances he sends my way. Good post, dear Pat, my reminder for today! I am a loved daughter of the God Most High!!! That's what my heart speaks!
ReplyDeleteHello My Dear Friend,
DeleteHow wonderful it is to read your words. Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Choose life. Two important sentences that have power and choice in them. Especially the second sentence, Choose Life. Each one of has that choice. For us who are Christians, God says, Choose life and you shall live. His Word states, Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Choose life. But I wonder how many of us grasp this principle. The choice is ours and we must seek Him to grasp the full meaning.
Shalom,
Patricia
Thank you dear Pat. Looking within instead of without will bring the peace in our hearts that we desire. Going within to that still quiet place will bring us our connection with God and all that is true and beautiful, worthwhile and rewarding. We all have skills to be used, gifts that were given to us from the moment we were born and we can use them to discern our purpose.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteAll I can say is Amen, and once again, Amen! Your statement says it all. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I especially like your sentence, "Going within to that still quiet place will bring us our connection with God and all that is true and beautiful, worthwhile and rewarding." This is so true. It needs to be hung in the sky for all to read.
Shalom,
Patricia
Over all I am very happy with my life, Pat, almost always have been, except for a few glitches here and there. I am not interested in things, but rather ideas and the exchange of information and ideas among us humans. I try to stay focused on my goals, but am so interested in everything, I am easily led off on side roads. But, I do come back to the main path and keep going. The trick for me is to recognize my opportunities when they come to me and then evaluate my reactions accordingly.
ReplyDeleteShalom,
Samantha
Good Morning My Dear Samantha,
DeleteI'm sorry that it has taken me so long to respond to you but I had family visiting from the States and re-prioritised my priorities to dedicate the time to insuring they had a great time here.
It is good when we recognise that the path we are going down makes us happy because no matter how difficult it may be, there is a joy that resonates in our souls. We know that we are going the right way. So I rejoice at the fact that you can say that you are very happy with your life. Everyone has glitches. Wisdom comes in knowing that, everyone has glitches and that no one is exempt from his or her examinations on the journey. When we realise that, our jealousy of others will fade away and we will accept that there is a time and season for everyone and everything.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. They stirred a thought in me.
Shalom,
Patricia
Thank you for posting this. James Allen is certainly very quotable but he's a bit male-oriented.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to read an updated paraphrase of "As a Man Thinketh" for twenty-first century men and women, look at "Seeds of Thought." It's available for download free of charge on Amazon between July 24 and 27.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ROSPD1W/
If you like it, please leave a review! Maybe you'd like to tell your readers about the offer... thanks!
Hello Jonathan,
DeleteThank you for dropping by my website.
If you would like me to review your book as well as post a review on Amazon, you will have to have it release free of charge for Amazon Germany also. I have checked and it is not posted on Amazon Germany but on the Amazon.com site.
Or you can send me an ARC copy and I will read it.
Shalom,
Patricia