The MONTHLY Motivator - April 2002

The Power of Thought

The power of thought is something we generally take for granted. After all, thinking requires no physical effort so it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. Thinking is an extremely big deal, though. It is a fundamental, essential and powerful ability which can form the basis for literally any achievement you can imagine.

Everything you’ve ever accomplished has been accomplished first in your thoughts. And each thing you accomplish in the future will begin with a thought.

Indeed, thought is a powerful thing to which you have immediate and constant access. Like any powerful force, thought can be used positively or negatively. Your thoughts can bring about many good and wonderful things, and yet they also have the power to be extremely hurtful and destructive.

Thoughts are powerful and they can have far-reaching effects, so it is vitally important to focus, control and direct your thoughts in such a way as to bring about the most positive results.

Your thoughts have a major influence on your experience of life. Everything you see, hear, touch, feel, and learn is filtered through your own thoughts before settling into your consciousness. Two different people who are subject to the exact same set of circumstances will each have a unique experience because of how those circumstances are filtered through their own thinking. What you see is not really what you see. What you see is what you think you see. In your thoughts you can change your experience of the world without ever lifting a finger.

Imagine that you’re at home alone watching television. You’ve just watched a frightening, two-hour suspense thriller film, and then the news comes on and there’s a report of two unsolved murders in your part of town. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, you hear a loud knocking at your front door. It could be anyone knocking, but because of your state of mind, because of what you’ve been thinking about, solely because of the power of thought, you’re terrified that there’s a murderer on you doorstep.

Now imagine another scenario. Again you’re home alone watching television. You’ve just watched a two-hour special on luxury vacation destinations, and are fantasizing about traveling to all those beautiful places. An announcer comes on the screen saying that the winner in the vacation channel’s ten million dollar sweepstakes has been chosen, and that winner lives in your town, and the “prize team” is on their way right now to the lucky person’s house. Then you hear a loud knock on the door. Again, it could be anyone knocking, yet because of what you’ve been thinking about, because of the power of thought, your heart races with excitement at the prospect of someone standing on your front porch with a check for ten million dollars.

The knock on the door is exactly the same in both cases, and yet the way you experience it is totally different because of your thoughts leading up to the event.

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--Ralph Marston

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