Our Thoughts

Our Thoughts
By Tommy Franks

As I reminisce over the years of my life, the one factor that I believe hinders us the most in our success (mentally, physically, materially, spiritually) is the one word “guilt”. Sometimes, we condemn ourselves for the least little thing. Consequently and eventually, we build up a lot of guilt feelings. The burden of guilt has no “good place” in our lives. Yes, sometimes…the initial feeling of guilt is warranted and merited. However, we do not have to continue to carry it around with us. When we mess up (muff things up), we need to apologize, be penitent (sorry), and ask for forgiveness…and then move on.

Someone recently said, “At least 50% of all mental patients could leave today if they knew they were forgiven!” Most of them cannot bring themselves to “forgive themselves” of their past. Please Note: If we continue to condemn ourselves for something in our past…when, in fact…we have long since changed, we are condemning a person who is no longer guilty or even exists. Forgiveness eradicates the error and wrongdoing! Sometimes, we say, “If only I could live my life over again, I would do better. I would NOT commit the same mistakes again!” This type of “thinking” is admirable and noble; however, it’s NOT going to happen. It sounds good, but we have been allocated a certain number of days on this Planet…and I assure you, there will be no “re-runs” in our lives as we know them now.

However, we can forgive ourselves and if we have wronged someone else, we can and should make that wrong “right” by asking for forgiveness…if possible. The questions we need to ask ourselves are these: “What did I learn through this episode? How has this helped me to become a better person?”

The problem with living with “guilt” is that guilt and un-forgiveness cause us to relive our past over and over again…criticizing and passing judgment upon ourselves continually for past mistakes. Thus, this inevitably causes us to be unhappy and perhaps discontented with ourselves. We cannot change our past. We can and do learn from it. However, we live in the present and will never be able to go back in time and redo our mistakes or wrongs that we have committed.

SOLUTION: Forgive ourselves and move forward! HOW: By actually feeling regret (being sorry) and remorse (painful regret) for something that we did or perhaps should have done (omission). Since we are human beings, this has happened to all of us at one time or another. We believe in the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as we would like for others to do unto us.” Do we always practice the Golden Rule? No! The other side of the coin can be simply stated like this, “In accordance with the law of cause and effect, everything we “think” or say or do…will come back to us in like form!” Hence, this could be called the law of reaping and sowing.

Finally, it becomes clear to us that we can change our own course of events and destiny by forgiving and accepting forgiveness from others who might have hurt us in the past. Today is a great day to show forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and kindness to others!

Sometimes, we may “think” that the world does not have a clue as to how we feel, “think”, or live. Sometimes, we may think that society does not understand us or is perhaps so unsympathetic. Sometimes, we may wonder if our dreams will ever materialize. This is when we must reflect and “think” about how we feel about ourselves. Our community and our world will normally replicate in kind…the way we feel or think about our own selves. If you see yourself strong and confident, the people around you will catch that attitude and also view you that way…even if on the inside, you do not possess the maximum self-assurance. William James once said, “The greatest discovery of my life…is that a man can change the circumstances of his life by changing his thoughts and attitudes.”

Once there was a man named “Jack Lack”. Mr. Lack would say the most negative things like: “Good things never seem to happen to me. I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short! I just can’t win! I just wish for once, I could get ahead.”

Have heard Jack or someone like Jack Lack? Yes, we have all heard similar phrases. What is wrong with this picture? For one thing, this type of negative rhetoric is “self-fulfilling” prophecy. If Jack changes his “thinking”, he will also change his verbal expressions. I cannot tell you exactly why this works…I just know that it has worked for me and thousands of others. Our subconscious minds are invaluable computers. They compute the data in which we give them from our conscious minds.

For example, I cannot tell you how the air conditioning on a jet airliner works, but I can tell you this, it works…and I enjoy the comforts of it while in the air traveling at 500 to 600 MPH. Do I have to know the dynamics and theory behind the laws of air conditioning in order to enjoy the quality of air. No! Hello! But I do have to respect it!

As we change our attitudes, our “thinking” changes. As our “thinking” changes, we change! In accordance with the Law of Attraction, whatever we give, send forth, or convey to others, comes back to us in “like form”. In Australia, they call this the “boomerang effect”. This societal and natural law is NOT necessarily a command. However, if we ignore it, we will miss out on the greatest asset of all…Helping others as we help ourselves!

If I ignore the Law of Gravity, I will get into deep trouble fast. If I respect the Law of Gravity, my life will be much easier. For example, until recently I lived on the 4th floor of an apartment complex. Occasionally, I would go out on the balcony and enjoy a delicious cup coffee and just experience the fresh air and calmness. However, if I had ignored the Law of Gravity, and jumped over the guard rail, my life would have ended with a sudden jolt when I landed. It would have been a fast ride though the air with inevitable results. Therefore, I will continue to respect natural laws.

Earlier, we talked about Mr. Jack Lack. He also seems to have another trait that alienates him from others. Jack is a constant complainer. He complains that life has little to offer him, yet he never “gives” anything back to society or to his community. The other day, Jack said, “Life just doesn’t seem to have any meaning to me anymore!” What a sad commentary! Mr. Lack has never learned to respect the Law of Giving. What we give, we receive. If I sow happiness into others, I will reap/receive happiness myself. What I “put into” life or society, I will get back in like manner. We must never be afraid to give…For you see, whatever we give will always be replaced with much, much more.
Up until now, we have talked a lot about our “thinking” process. Now, I want to say some additional things about “our words”…what we speak. Words are powerful vehicles. They can create or destroy! The following scenario deals with our current global aging process:

As children, we were told what to expect as we got older…and older…and older. We were told to enjoy our youth because there would come a time when we would have to SLOW down to a snail’s pace. We watched our grandparents or other relatives say things like, “My legs hurt. My arms ache. I just don’t seem to have any energy anymore. I hate old age. I wish I was 20 years younger.” And the beat goes on…

In past generations, people literally talked themselves (with negative thinking) into physical deterioration and old age. Why? Because they had been programmed during their whole lifetime to “believe” certain things about getting older. Life or age gives back to us what we “expect”. It is really a horrendous tragedy to observe people whose false beliefs about “aging” have prevented them from enjoying the quality of life that they so richly deserve. I must re-emphasize: Our MIND controls every function of our body! The SUBCONSCIOUS accepts whatever suggestions are given to it…good, bad, or indifferent. The suggestions do not have to be valid or scientific. Our belief makes them true or not true!

If I accept in my conscious mind that I will automatically slow down at 65 or 75 or 85…or whatever, my subconscious mind will accept that data…and make it so. My body will conform to my beliefs. That is why it is so important for me to say positive things about myself in reference to old age…or getting older! I must NOT talk disease and infirmity. I need to talk strength, vitality, enthusiasm, and gusto.

EVERYTHING we do is the result of our “thoughts” and “words”. Words are important to our well-being and health. Words that we speak give power to our thoughts…which make an indelible impression upon our subconscious minds. Perhaps, the words that we have heard in our past about old age have been mostly negative. Do we accept those words or do we govern our own minds and establish a new paradigm so that we can live out our lives in dignity and longevity?

Medical doctors and gerontologists normally agree that the mental and physical capabilities of older people are far “under-rated”. Over the years, they have learned that “senility” is NOT the result of physical decline, but is the result of pure boredom and sometimes, a feeling of uselessness! Hello!

Think about this: We so often hear about “stress” in various people at various ages. What about the stress upon the older set? Many have been taught the following:
· As you get older, you will suffer from the loss of status.
· Your body will deteriorate rapidly.
· You will see many of your friends get sick and die!
· You will experience purposelessness…
· Then you die! Hello! Something is wrong with this picture!

If an older person believes the above fallacies and erroneous beliefs, he will lose all hope and will be proven correct in his thinking. Then he dies! The sad thing about this sort of thing is…It is completely unnecessary! It can be prevented. As we overcome false beliefs about aging and the aging process, we will live longer…be fully active longer…be healthy longer…and live a good wholesome and quality life until our longevity expires. Now, don’t get me wrong. We will all die, but we do not have to die prematurely before our time! And we can all die with dignity and a sense of worth!

Historically, significant creative inventions (64%) have come from people over 40. George Bernard Shaw won the Nobel Peace Prize at 69. Adenauer became chancellor of Germany at 73 and continued in that position until age 87. President Ronald Reagan was our President well into his 70s. Winston Churchill did not become Prime Minister of Britain until he was in his 60s. The Kentucky Colonel (Sanders) of Kentucky of Fried Chicken was over 62 years young when he came on the global scene with his secret chicken recipe. And do I need to say anything about our Southern Gentleman friend from the great state of South Carolina…Senator Strum Thurmond? Hello!

Two things can project us on to success today: Our positive “thinking” and our positive “attitude”! I believe that we can be as happy as we choose to be! I also believe that we can be active and truly alive for many years to come!

Each human being has character. Some individuals have great character and others not so great…some in high places…some not. Our character, nature, moral fiber, and personality are formed by the “way we think”. Most often, our thinking habits are influenced by our associates, friends, parents, and mentors. As we grow older (mature), we start thinking more independently for ourselves. As free citizens, we no longer allow others to “think for us”!

As our personality develops through the maturation process, we become aware of potential power that has perhaps…been lying dormant in our minds. We begin to realize that we can achieve certain things…we can succeed in life…we can have a “good wholesome life”. With a positive attitude, belief in ourselves, a good value system, and a thirst for knowledge, we can achieve “desired” results. In my past, there have been times that I let the intellectual and reasoning part of my mind (conscious) “talk me out of” success. After all, I had always been taught to “reason” things through…to rationalize…to verbosely explain things. Read on…

Sometimes, we cannot always explain the way we feel or think, especially in our subconscious. In our hearts, it feels right. We just know it’s the right thing to do…the right thing to say. Initially, we do not know how to explain it. It may NOT even be rational or “make good sense”. But we have this vision, premonition, intuition, or hunch about something. We don’t have the “words” for it yet, but we see it in our minds. Eventually, the vision, dream, or mental picture develops into a rough foundation…and later into a more structured idea and image.

Remember Thomas Alva Edison? His elementary school teacher sent him home one day with a note attached to the back of his shirt. It read, “To the parents of Thomas Edison…Please do NOT send Thomas to school again. He is too dumb to learn!” Why? Because Thomas A. had some peculiar ideas that were foreign to most people’s way of thinking. He actually “thought” that man had the ability to create a “light bulb”, the ability to create a “phonograph” for music, and the ability to channel electricity to perform all kinds of new feats and inventions! How silly of Thomas! Hello!
Mr. Edison actually believed that the only way that “we could fail to obtain our goals would be because of our lack of belief in our ability to achieve it.”

Hence, I believe: Nothing is impossible to us or for us if we will use the tremendous power of our minds (thinking) and creative ability. If we “think” we can, we can. You and I were born for “greatness”! Believe it!