THINGS BECOME THOUGHTS
Most of us are by now familiar with the phrase “thoughts
become things” (©Mike Dooley, www.tut.com). I was first made aware of this
concept by a friend of mine who is a devotee of Paramahansa Yogananda. His way
of saying it is, “everything begins with a thought.” Around the same time
frame, I saw the movie, “The Secret”, and heard Mike Dooley use the now well-known
phrase, “thoughts become things.” And although I understood this at an
intuitive level, I had no idea how to change my own thoughts to create and
manifest the things I wanted in my own life.
I followed everything available on this topic, but always
wound up feeling as if I were failing, maybe something was wrong with me, it
might work for others but not for me, and all the other self-deprecating
beliefs we often hold. But, I did not give up entirely and kept searching and
reading and watching videos!
I joined a support club for people wanting to manifest. It
focused on the Daily Practice…what we could do every day to turn our thoughts
around. At first I dabbled in it a bit, but one day I decided to give it 100%
attention. Yet, in order to do so, I had to create some extra time in my days!
My “things” or my habits had to change in order for me to have the time to
change my thoughts!
In other words, first of all I had to give up the habit I
had of getting up and playing games on my tablet! There, I have admitted it!
And I had convinced myself it was a way of getting my brain charging for the
day and keeping my brain sharp as I aged. In reality it was wasting a good hour
or more in the morning! I then started using that time for meditation, for
journaling, for setting intentions for my day. These “things” began to change
my way of thinking in a more positive and grateful way, which began creating
the life I desired. I was able to get clear about what I actually wanted in
life, which I feel is the most difficult part of the whole creating process!
I liked where this was going so much, I asked myself what
else I could give up to find more time and the obvious answer was TV. Now, I am
not a person that turns on the TV at all during the day, but at about 6 or so,
I liked to eat my dinner while watching it and watch it until 10 or so. Hey!
There’s 3 or 4 hours right there! So, no, I have not stopped watching TV
totally. But I do take time at the end of my day to list at least 10 things
that happened during the day for which I am grateful. And if things have not
gone well, I also do some extra journaling to see if I can figure out the
lesson or the blessing! TV is not the priority, but rather the “reward” if all
is running smoothly.
Along with the TV habit, I enjoyed a glass of wine in the
evenings. Nothing wrong with that, right? But it dulled me and made me want to
just go to bed rather than working on my “things”. So, in time, without any
fanfare or suffering, I no longer drink unless I am in a social setting. Now I
had created a little more time or “thing” to help with those thoughts!
At the first of each month, I set intentions for that month
of what I want to manifest and fashion affirmations and a visualization around
that. I record them on my phone, and play them when I am traveling to work or
the store or wherever! This habit or “thing” ensures my thoughts are focused on
what I desire in my life.
To sum up, would it not be better to take time to focus
each day on what you desire, on gratitude, on intentions for your day and be
able to manifest your deep desires than to waste time on things that are merely
distractions causing your thoughts to create more things on which to waste your
time? Look at your life and think about what you focus on each day. For many,
it would be: drag myself out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, head to work, work
all day, come home and feed the kids, do chores, drink, play online games, work
in the yard, yell at the kids to go to bed, watch TV, etc. There are no habits
included that could possibly cause a moment of clarity or creating!
We are definitely what we think. Thoughts become things no
doubt about it! But I have found that things…. the things we do each day…our
habits…also become our thoughts! If we allow our habits to be mindless, useless
activities that do not help us create the life of our desires, then we cannot
expect that we will! But if we use our habits to focus our minds with positive
ideas of what we want, we will be given the inspiration to make it happen! The
choice is up to you. Change your thoughts and change your “things” …change your
“things” and allow space to change your thoughts!
