Our thoughts are our own. No matter how hard the people we know, the media, or society tries to determine exactly what you think, the ultimate thoughts you entertain on a moment-to-moment basis are chosen solely by you.  The mood, kindness, and productivity of these thoughts (or lack thereof) will lead to who you become and what you experience tomorrow.  The things we think about the world, other people, and most importantly, we will determine the turns our life takes and the relative success or failure we find in our existence.  So the question becomes an important one. What do you think about it?  You can spend many hours with someone and lie next to them at night, but you will never know their thoughts.

What do you think about the world?

We live in a society in the United States where people experience unprecedented freedom of movement and thought. Yet, we have a culture bombarded with images of fear and lack. Watch mainstream media, and you will feel your life is at risk by walking out your door. Every person you meet has terrible intentions to kidnap you or someone you love or commit an act of terrorism.  All of this creates a culture of fear convenient for those marketing to you but not so good for enjoying life.  Some dangers exist. That is life, but the majority of people and situations are not going to hurt you.

It has been my life experience that most people will go out of their way to help you if you need it.  They do this expecting nothing back. It is done because it is the right thing to do. None of this makes headlines on the news, though, because madness and fear sell products. Kindness does not.  This happens simply because you are looking for anything to make you feel better or safer when you are in fear. You don’t need anything when you are happy, safe, and content. What do you think about the world?

What do you think of other people?

Other people are a mystery because we don’t know what they are thinking. But we are quick to judge, evaluate, and label them.  It is thousands of years of instinct that cause us to do this.  Our ancestors had to quickly judge another person’s threat, kindness, or advantage. Their lives depended on it.  Our minds are programmed to look for problems and threats.  Looking for the good in someone is more complex and takes a little effort. But look for the good in all people out there, and almost always, you will find it.

The thoughts you entertain about those other people will lead to how you view them.  If you are mistrustful, judgmental, mean, and limiting, then most of the people you meet will be reflecting that right back at you.  Make sure that everyone in the world is selfish jerks to muck up your life. But the real issue isn’t them, but your thoughts about them.  Even the biggest jerk in the world has something good about them.  They often have just forgotten that it is there.  If you choose, those thoughts of kindness and acceptance of others will also be reflected in others. Try to choose positive thoughts about people.

What do you think about yourself?

This is the place where nobody will know what you think but you. We never talk to anyone as much as we talk to ourselves. Yet, we don’t think about how we carry on these conversations.  How you think about your relative worth will be reflected in your thoughts all the time.  It is easy to look at our physical appearance, accomplishments, or mistakes in life and beat ourselves up continually about them.  I am too heavy, too thin, don’t have enough money, a big enough house, or whatever things we perceive we lack.  If we spend our thoughts thinking of what we lack materially or personally, we will lack.

Choose rather than focus our thoughts on our good qualities and what we can and want to accomplish in life.  We are conditioned from childhood not to brag about our good qualities. It is an easy step to mean we should be ashamed of our good qualities.  But that is a mistake. How we think about ourselves will be the most significant factor in our successes or failures. If we do not believe in ourselves, then what anyone else thinks isn’t going to matter or help.  Inside each of us is a great person with talent, and we all have great qualities. Many people have buried them deep underneath the tangled weeds of the expectations of others.  Seek that person and know the goodness in you, and good things will result.  Be kind, loving, and accepting of yourself; it is easy to be that way about others.

What is it that you are thinking? Be conscious of the positives and negatives you are thinking about the world, other people, and yourself, and you will see how you think is going to dictate the things you experience in the world.

“Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without.” James Allen

“Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world.”  Eckhart Tolle