Fifty-two Week Challenge: Week 4, The Way You Think

One of our biggest challenges is to control our own thoughts. Have you ever listened to yourself think? Our thoughts often jump from idea to idea, much like a monkey in a cage. In fact, Buddhist refer to man's mind as "monkey mind" because most of us have unsettled, indecisive, uncontrolled thoughts most of the time.

Without control, your thoughts are often your own worst enemy. They can prevent you from starting or even sabotage the best of plans. They can actively work against the achievement of your dreams. They don't even require the help of other people. We often convince ourselves, before we even start, that we are a failure or don't have what it takes to accomplish a goal.

We believe the stories we tell ourselves, whether they be good or bad ones. When you think you can't do something, the mind conjures up reasons to support it. We build a great story of failure before we even try. But there is an alternative. We can tell ourselves good, powerful stories of success if we so decide. If we have been telling ourselves negative lies over time, like everything, it takes work to change for the better.

Whatever occupies our mind usually becomes our reality. To change our thoughts requires that we use our imagination. If you want improvement and achievement of your goals, your mind needs to focus on improvement and achievement, not destruction and failure. An idea that exclusively occupies your mind usually turns into reality.

So this week’s challenge is to focus on the good, and the pure, and what you want to accomplish. Learn to replace the negative stories with positive, uplifting ones. It will take willpower and determination. Overcome the self-conflict and build a strong story of success for yourself. After all, as my dad has always told me, you are what you focus upon.


“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” ― Henry David Thoreau