Some of the most powerful words you should remember are: You Become What You Think About. In order to take control of your life, you must take control of your mind. And, in order to do that, you must understand how your magnificent mind is organized and how it functions. In order to maximize your true potential for success and happiness, it is essential that you first accept that you are a masterpiece. As the great motivational speaker and teacher Les Brown says, “I know I’m a masterpiece because I am a piece of the Master.” That’s a powerful realization. We are here to function as co-creators on this beautiful planet. We are charged with a lofty mission – to leave the world better than how we found it. It’s an awesome responsibility in every sense.
In order to really appreciate how this works, we must appreciate that we are not our mind. In truth, we have a mind – that’s an important distinction. I personally believe that we are spiritual beings, living in a physical body, in possession of a mind and we are interacting with the material world. By recognizing that you are a spiritual being, you can then take control of your mind and will it to behave any way you wish. Your mind cannot give direction to your mind, that’s the job of the real you – the spiritual being. Just as you can command your brain and nervous system to move your arm or hand as you wish, you can direct the thinking of your mind in exactly the same way, once you understand the process.
The basic mechanism is as follows. By thinking about what you want, who you would like to become, where you would like to live, what kind of work you’d like to do, or how much money you wish to earn, over and over again, you will program your subconscious mind to adopt these thoughts as true beliefs. Understand that thoughts occur in the conscious mind; while beliefs reside in the subconscious mind. Thoughts are transient and fleeting. Beliefs, on the other hand, are deep rooted, long-standing, and difficult to change once formed. Our beliefs make up our paradigms or our self-concept. This is how we see ourselves and what we perceive our role to be in the world. Furthermore, it is critical to understand that one’s self-concept almost exclusively dictates our habitual behavior. These habitual behaviors, in turn, produce all the results we see in our lives. In other words, our physical fitness, bank balance, occupation and home all reflect how we’ve been thinking and what we’ve come to believe about ourselves over time.
Remember, you were born a masterpiece. By the same token, your mind is meant to be a masterpiece. If you think positive, productive, successful thoughts you can intentionally create a life which is also a masterpiece – a marvelous masterpiece of your own design. For each of us, this masterpiece will look different. Each of us is like an artist, responsible for creating our own exceptional reality. Just as a painting by Picasso looks nothing like one done by Van Gogh, your life should not be a facsimile of anyone else’s. Your life should be a brilliant original which reflects your personal wishes and desires. What’s most important is that you learn to use your extraordinary mind to think about what you’d like to become and how you like to live. Through repetition of thought, adoption of a high self-concept, and actions which reflect your beliefs, your personal masterpiece will be manifest in the physical realm.