The Power of Thinking

During this past week, I watched a movie called "The Secret." I found it to be a bit strange - a bunch of philosophers and quantitative physicists discussing the "law of attraction," and how utilizing it can bring happiness and wealth into your own life. I dismissed the parts that I thought were indicating that humans possess God-like powers, but I did connect with one idea that they continually mentioned throughout the movie.

It was the power of thought. Your thoughts can quite easily ruin or improve your day. You can feel like everyone hates you or everyone is in love with you, based on whatever you believe to be true. Your thoughts affect your feelings, and whether or not something you are thinking about is actually true, your feelings will begin reflecting those thoughts. Your feelings don't know what is true and what isn't; they change as a result of what your thoughts are saying.

Not long ago, I constantly felt depressed and humiliated every day I came into work because I thought that my supervisor was always angry with me and did not like me. I didn't know for sure if this was true, but I kept thinking that it was and so my feelings followed. I felt like it was true.

This sequence can happen so fast that we don't even stop to realize if what we are thinking is even valid or makes sense. At one point, I even thought that each time my supervisor and boss met privately in his office, it was because they were talking about me and deciding whether or not to fire me. It made no sense but I felt the anxiety and fear all of the time. I never stopped to challenge that thought to the point of realizing that it was ridiculous. (I'm still employed, by the way).

The movie also discussed the process of visualization, which I enjoyed learning about. They were saying if you really want to achieve something, picture yourself doing it - really focus on it. When you do that, you experience that same sequence of thoughts + feelings, and you begin to feel like you are really doing it. Like I mentioned above, your feelings respond to what is going on in your thoughts and they don't know what is truth or fiction.

So I visualized myself at my ideal weight and wearing the clothes that I used to wear, and it felt wonderful. I pictured myself traveling through Taiwan and not feeling embarrassed to wear my bathing suit into the hot springs. Immediately, I began to feel excited and confident. So I continued. I thought about what kind of job I would like to have; things I could do with my hair; places I'd love to travel to; conversations I would have; the laughter, the aromas, the turns and stares.

This process is supposed to help you stay in tune with your goals, continuously working towards them and making you want success on a heart level. I found this to be psychologically fascinating, and I am hoping to use this technique to my full advantage.