Freedom to Think

American Poet and Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day.” Do you realize the power that is in your thoughts? If you think negative thoughts, you will have a bad day, no matter what happens that is good. If you think positive thoughts, you will have a good day, no matter what happens that is bad. Have an imaginary fight in your head and you become angry for no reason. We have all done it.

When you eat junk food all the time, your body will be unhealthy, so if you feed your mind junk, it too will be unhealthy. TV, radio, movies, books or anything that goes into the mind can play a crucial role in how you feel and act. Success-minded people understand that it is vital to feed your mind on positive and beneficial things all the time. Success-minded people know a healthy mental diet will produce a strong positive result.

“The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it’s a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free.”

Charles R. Swindoll

Author

Does this mean you should not watch TV or movies or listen to music? Of course not. There are things we like and do not like, and there is no one size fits all in these areas. I believe you need to be careful in what you feed your mind. Does the music you listen to create positive feelings or depress and anger you? Do the movies you like to watch inspire you to make you feel lonely or upset? And of course, there are those times we want to be entertained. This is not rocket science. Just be aware of how the things you feed your mind cause you to react. If it is negative, change it.

When we feed our minds good positive information and entertainment, we become more creative, more productive and we are likely to inspire others. Success-minded people live out the principle that what goes into your mind will come out in your life. That my friends is a fact. If you want to be a success-minded, positive person, feed your mind successful positive things. William James said, “Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.” Choose the direction you want your life to go, and your thinking can make it so.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” – Philippians 4:8

You can learn more about Personal Development from author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2020 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without the permission of the author.