How you think creates you?

June 24th, 2010 by admin

“We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.” ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Our ability to think for ourselves or lack of that ability can help or hurt us. Here is an article about the ramifications of our thought.

Think Highly of Yourself By Shahreen Kamaluddin

It was established in my earlier articles, that our daily thoughts create our experience in life. Thus it is the quality of our thoughts that determine the quality of our experience in life. Right thinking or positive thoughts today shape our future life.

Out of the 60,000 over thoughts that we think a day, majority of these thoughts somehow revolve around the concept of ourselves and how we relate to the world. 90% of these thoughts are the same thoughts we thought yesterday and most of them are non-productive or negative. It should not be surprising that for many of us, our experiences are far from satisfactory.

Research has revealed that most of us have a low opinion of ourselves. We think far less of ourselves than is real or necessary. Our opinion of ourselves is often shaped by other people’s opinion about us. Thus we become vulnerable to the conflicting opinions others have of us. A lot of our energy is thus spent living up to people’s expectation of us. This, I have discovered, is an act of self-sabotage and needs to be corrected.

In many cultures, we are taught to be modest and self-deprecating. Putting ourselves down or underplaying our achievements is upheld as a virtue. It is common for even the rich and successful people to downplay their success so as to be regarded as humble and to earn the respect and approval of others.

Having been a product of this culture, I must take this opportunity to emphasize how damaging this practice can be to young growing minds and to our personalities and identities. Malaysians, in general, appear shy, timid and soft-spoken and these qualities are often misinterpreted as a lack of self-confidence or knowledge. People who speak up are noticed or admired even though they often lack substance. In most cultures, this continued practice of false modesty is becoming more and more out of place, given the strides Malaysia has made socially, economically and politically. More than this, I wish to inform that self-deprecating behavior can adversely affect our level of achievements and thus our whole future.

Thoughts have energy and power that they magnetize circumstances of similar energy into our life. This means that negative thoughts magnetize negative experiences into our life while positive thoughts magnetize positive experiences.

In my previous articles, I mentioned that our level of achievement in life is directly proportionate to our self-image, which is our opinion of ourselves. If we think we are not worthy of respect, love and success, our belief will prove itself to be true in our experiences. If we choose to improve our opinion of ourselves, we will develop the confidence to set higher goals and to achieve them.

Whatever opinion you choose to have of yourself will be realized in real life. Every thought, opinion or belief, acts as a command to the subconscious mind, whose function is to obey and implement the command. The subconscious mind has no capacity to argue with any thought or decision you choose to make. It also cannot distinguish between what is real or imagined. It is programmed to implement every thought. Thus if you choose to have a higher opinion of yourself than is currently true, your desire to be a better person, is acted upon by the subconscious mind. Thus all you have to do is constantly think positive thoughts about yourself and they will come true soon enough.

According to Anthony Robbins, there is a force that shapes our lives. It determines what we consider possible or impossible, what you attempt or pull back from, how you think and interact. This force is the belief you have about who you are – your identity.

Who we think or believe we are, affects every part of our lives. If you think you dare not, then you will never attempt even the first step. If you believe you can, your own will propel you towards success.

Thus a change in your opinion of yourself will instantly change your behavior, change the talents you express and the aspirations you pursue. It is through this core belief of yourself that you interpret life’s experiences.

Try defining yourself in more empowering ways everyday. Soon enough you will become how you describe yourself – your ideal self. Avoid at all costs defining yourself in ways that create limits to your achievement. Avoid descriptions like “I am hopeless at this”, “I am gross”. Remember we hold the ultimate power to define who we are.

Once we can uphold this positive image o ourselves with confidence, the world will accept the same definition of ourselves. Conversely, if we continue to hold a low self-esteem, we can bet that the world will agree with us. In order to produce a profound improvement in the quality of our life, we must change or expand our identity to one that moves us forward towards greater fulfillment of our life goals. Practice thinking highly of yourself. Ensure your self-dialogue is always positive. Visualize yourself at your absolute best always. Hold your head up high, walk tall. You are God’s greatest creation.

Shahreen Kamaluddin is an acknowledged empowerment author, corporate trainer, public speaker and Communications Consultant. She has spent most of her 38 years working experience in the practice and teaching of communications, empowerment, success strategies, leadership and personal development. She has authored two self-empowerment bestsellers entitled “You Are What You Believe” and Know Yourself – The Truth Will Set You Free”, in which she distills what she has learnt and applied in her life. She is currently completing her third book titled “Now Is The Time.” Know Yourself – The Truth Will Set You Free, is available as a PDF e-book at KnowYourSelfBook.com.

Described by the media as a “success guru” and “epitome of positive thinking”, Shahreen is carrying out her mission to empower others to express their true potential and live their grandest dream.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shahreen_Kamaluddin

TODAY’S TIP: Your are a divine creation. Think of yourself as such and always carry positive thoughts about yourself.

What do you think now?