Everything in this world started with a thought.  Your computer, your desk, the clothes you are wearing, all came from someone's creative ideas. Everywhere there is intelligence and order, the seasons come and go, the sun rises and sets, the fish spawn in cycles.

Wisdom throughout the ages has explained how the world operates according to the law of cause and effect.  "As you sow, so shall you reap".  If you plant seeds for an orange tree, it doesn't matter how much you pray, affirm, visualize, you will not produce apples.  The law of cause and effect, also known as karma, says you will reap according to the seeds you have planted.

Our life is not a random happening.  Someone once said that to think that this world was created by random laws is like believing that if a tornado hits a junk yard it can produce a Boeing 747!

Similarly, our state of happiness is dependent on, and is a reflection and manifestation of, the seeds we plant each day in our mind.  The Buddha said it this way: "You are what you thought, you become what you think".

When we plant thoughts of empathy, kindness, love and compassion in our minds, our life becomes harmonious, calm, peaceful and smooth. When we plant thoughts of fear, worry, anger, revenge, jealousy and greed, our life becomes, chaotic, difficult, out of control, even dangerous.

As a species, with all our intelligence we may know how to protect ourselves from wild animals, from some diseases and travel to the moon but we hardly know how to protect ourselves from the negative habits of our own mind!  Our mind is indeed our worst enemy and our greatest friend. Our thoughts can limit or free us.

Thoughts however operate more like habits. When we don't pay attention to them, they function automatically and we keep thinking the same unhelpful thoughts and getting the same undesired results.

Most people spend lots of energy, time and money trying to master outward circumstances. We constantly worry about what others think about us, but we hardly notice the thoughts in our own mind - which is our ultimate control tower!

Our thoughts create our feelings and those feelings create a response in our body. For example, the thought that we might have an accident driving over the bridge creates fear, which in turn, makes the heart race and creates tightness in the throat and chest.  These internal responses in turn create the impetus for our behaviour.  We may avoid driving over bridges altogether. 

Our mind then is the principal instrument by which everything else follows and by which our behaviour is driven. The mind however, is like a muscle, and it must be trained.  If we don't exercise our powers over our thoughts this power atrophies.  We become like a robot, just reacting to conditions and circumstances.

Here are 3 suggestions to gain mastery over your mind and therefore over your life. Change requires effort. The mind is so strong in its habit pattern, it requires daily effort and introspection to redirect your life.

First, listen to inspirational talks and read motivational books daily.  Stay away from bad news, gossip, and negativity.  We need a tremendous amount of repetition and exposure to what we are striving to achieve for change to happen.  Immerse yourself in positive, uplifting, joyful ways of thinking.

Second, change some of the things you do that maintain and sustain negative thinking habits. The activity of doing something different will often change your thoughts and therefore interrupt unproductive cycles.

For example, if you never call your friends, and end up feeling guilty, and think "what a bad person I am", make the effort to call your friends more often.  This way you can have proof that you are a good person, and alleviate your guilt.

Another example: If you avoid going over a bridge because that's where you had your first panic attack, you will reinforce the thought that "bridges are dangerous and I am not safe".  You must get back on the horse that you fell from.  Going back to the place where you had your first panic attack, and being able to handle it, will help you believe, "I can take care of myself".

 

The third step is "mindfulness", a cornerstone of happiness. Mindfulness is a state of consciousness in which the experiences of your internal world can be observed in the moment, without judgment. This aspect will be discussed in detail in our next newsletter on individual happiness.

Creating all-around happiness and well-being requires a careful investigation of our thoughts and effective strategies to work with them. It calls for the discipline to examine ourselves honestly and to refrain from acting on unexamined feeling and thoughts.