Dominate Your Thoughts
What we think about cannot be overstated. Our minds attract everything we give it, and no matter the time frame, what we consume either processes in us or eventually comes out of us. You cannot expect to listen, read, or watch something and have it not affect you. Everything that comes in will go through you and come out. It may not be as drastic as a violent movie turning into you buying a weapon, but it very well could be. An overconsumption of violence in your interests could easily turn into reality someday. As the famous proverb says, “above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23). So it is not just the mind you are affecting, it is the heart. Our heart, mind, and soul are connected – you cannot influence one without affecting the other.
What kind of person do you want to be? More specifically, what kind of values, character traits, and actions do you want to be known for? Whatever core elements of your life you want to be true of you, ensure that they are connected with the people and content of your life. You must consume and think about what you want to be true. What dominates your thoughts will often determine your circumstances. As the class writer Napoleon Hill said, “our brains become magnetized with the dominating thoughts which we hold in our minds, and by means which no man is familiar, these ‘magnets’ attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts.” Whatever you want your reality to become, you must intentionally decide it to be true. You cannot change every circumstance, but you can change yourself. You have the ability to reframe your thought system into one that matches the exact vision for your life, reflecting not only aspects of your values now, but who you aspire to be one day. There is nothing more powerful than taking action to develop your way to your desired reality.
We must careful about what we consume. But we must also be just as careful in what we think about, that we might dwell on what is positive, purposeful, and necessary for our lives. Dominate your thoughts, guard your heart, and envision a life of value.
