April 2000 #2
By: Beverly Nadler
QUOTE:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford
WHAT DOES THE WORD “THOUGHT” MEAN?
Since almost every philosophical, spiritual, personal growth and psychological teaching stresses the influence of “thinking” and “thoughts” in our lives – from “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (the Bible) to “Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”(Shakespeare) -- this subject is essential to our living the joyous, abundant life we desire, instead of what Henry David Thoreau called a “life of quiet desperation.”
The dictionary definitions of the word “think” took up over half a page in my large New World Dictionary. The definitions of “thought” took up much less space, with the first definition being “the act or process of thinking”.
With so many different meanings for the word “think”, let me tell you the frame of reference I’m using: “Think” is a CONSCIOUS act which has a specific effect known as “thought”.
Why is this so important to establish? Because if our lives are the result of our thinking, thinking. MUST become a conscious act. Otherwise, we create our lives out of the automatic reactions that come from the programmed beliefs in our subconscious mind. Since most people are programmed with lots of negative beliefs about themselves and life, they continue to create more negative conditions, due to these automatic reactions (so-called “thoughts”). Thoughts are often compared to “seeds”; well, we can’t reap a crop of joy, health, success, love and prosperity from negative seeds.
HOW DO WE “CREATE” OUR LIFE WITH OUR THOUGHTS?
Here’s how we create our life with our thoughts: Thoughts – whether conscious or subconscious -- vibrate into the universe, and by the universal Law of ATTRACTION, those vibrations bring us whatever we are in “resonance” (vibrational harmony) with. THAT’S how it happens, always!
However, because most people do not know how these universal laws work (indeed, they don’t even know they exist) and because we are not taught how the mind functions (particularly the subconscious), this process is not self-evident. IF IT WERE, WOULDN’T MORE PEOPLE HAVE MORE OF WHAT THEY WANT IN LIFE?
It is not just with “thought” that we create; every thought is accompanied by an EMOTION, and emotions – good, bad or indifferent – “fuel”, or energize, our thoughts. Our vibrations are really a combination of our thoughts and feelings. (There are other components, but those coming from our mind are by far the most powerful.)
Now, let’s get back to “thinking” as being a CONSCIOUS act where we choose our thoughts. Frequently, when we don’t choose our thoughts, our subconscious mind does, based upon our programming. We are all programmed with family, social and universally accepted beliefs (called “the collective unconscious” by Swiss psychiatrist, Dr. Carl Jung), many of which are negative. Also, when we do not choose our thoughts, we are susceptible to the influence of the media and people who have their own agendas. Without realizing it, we tend to think what they want us to think (that’s why we buy their products!).
Your mental energy is always vibrating outward, and as your vibrations mix with the “unified field of energy” (the universe in which we live), they attract what you are in harmony with – whether wanted or unwanted. The most important thoughts you can have are about yourself. Do you esteem yourself? respect yourself? appreciate yourself? More than anything, what you believe and feel about yourself determines the quality of your life, especially as regards your health and/or finances.
HOW DO WE CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK?
Your first step is AWARENESS: I imagine that you, like most of the human race, have incessant negative chatter (it’s called “self-talk”). I invite you to listen to it. Then ask yourself “Would I say this to someone I love?” You will probably notice that there’s a lot of criticism, sarcasm, guilt and self-condemnation coming from your self-talk. These are the thoughts (with the feelings that naturally accompany these thoughts) that vibrate into the universe and become a “magnet”, attracting the people, things, conditions, situations and events that become your life.
Your second step is to create a new INTENTION. That intention is “I want to notice when I have negative thoughts and say negative things, so I can change them.”
Believe it our not, awareness and intention are two simple but very important techniques for change. By using them, you give yourself a new message and establish a new pattern of thought. Each time you become aware of your negative self-talk and./or negative thoughts, congratulate yourself. (That’s right – congratulate yourself, instead of berating and criticizing yourself.) Tell yourself how wonderful it is that you noticed – because by noticing, you have the opportunity to change your thoughts and project a different vibration.
You can’t do anything until you become AWARE, and you won’t do anything different from what you always have done until you create a new intention. Most people, upon noticing that they are not doing what they intended or that they are doing something they don’t want to do, feel guilt and self-condemnation. They decide (over and over again) that they are failures. What vibration do you think that kind of mental state projects into the universe? Certainly not one that resonates with health, success, joy, abundance and prosperity.
Your third step is to CHOOSE a new thought. Yes, choose a thought the same way you choose the music you listen to, the clothes you wear, the brands of toothpaste and shampoo you use, the movies you see, etc. CHOOSE. Say to yourself (without judgment or negativity – remember, you are pleased to discover the negative statements and thoughts so you can change them): “No, that’s not true.”-- then add whatever you want to be true in your life.
There are many techniques I teach at my seminars and in my Dynamic Self-Healing manuals. In addition, it’s important to have the “support” of your subconscious mind, and for this, I highly recommend SCWL subliminal tapes. Read about these wonderful tapes on my website.
Money is extremely sensitive to our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and emotional responses -- not only about money itself -- but about ourselves. People who do not feel worthy, entitled or deserving of wealth (consciously or subconsciously) rarely attract it. If they do, they usually unconsciously find creative ways of losing it all (drugs, gambling, bad investments, attempted suicide, etc.).
People who feel worthy and have no interest in money (yes, there really ARE such people!), frequently give it away, yet often continue to attract it. That’s because this is an abundant universe, where money is simply a form of energy. People who feel good about themselves attract an abundance of energy. If they do not dislike money, and they are engaged in work or service they enjoy, money is likely to flow to them with ease.
People who hate their jobs, resent wealthy people, refer to rich people as “filthy rich”, are upset at movie stars making $20 million for a movie, etc., set up a negative vibration that repels money. This does not mean you can’t notice that the division of money appears to be unbalanced in our society, but it does mean that if you think of money and mix jealousy, resentment, anger, etc., with money thoughts you are putting yourself in harmony with lack, not abundance. This is true, no matter how “hard” you might work.
Hard work certainly does not guarantee wealth. In fact, the people who work really hard (think about the people who do physical labor) usually don’t become wealthy. There are many myths around money that people have taken on as their beliefs, and as long as they believe these myths, they limit their ability to attract prosperity. Here’s one of the most common and incorrect “Money is the root of all evil.” No, LACK of money is. Lack of money causes arguments, war, robbery, murder, lying, cheating, divorce, breaks up families, etc. Even if we change the statement to “LOVE of money is the root, etc”, it does not change the effect this belief often has on people’s thinking, and on their lives.
One of the best ways to repel money is to feel you are not worthy, don’t deserve it and are not entitled to wealth. One of the main reasons that service-oriented, spiritually-minded people (especially those in the spiritual and alternative health care fields, who have a “mission” to help others) do not have the money they need to carry out their mission is their belief in the myth – consciously or unconsciously -- that money is not spiritual. The truth is, energy is spiritual, and money is energy. Look at the symbols on the dollar bill. They are sacred symbols (the pyramid, the all-seeing-eye) representing the spiritual essence of money.
You may know people who were “corrupted” by money, or so it seems. The truth is, money simply energizes what a person already IS. Honest, ethical people become even more so, while people with criminal or evil tendencies find elaborate ways to use these tendencies. And those who are confused and unprepared for responsibility, join the ones who don’t think they deserve wealth – becoming depressed, drug or alcohol dependent, suicidal, etc. You have only to look at what happens to many entertainers to know this is so.
There is no paid advertising in the newsletter. Any
references to or recommendations of companies, products or services are based
on my enthusiasm and personal experience. Thank you for your comments; they are
always welcome.
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