I often find it difficult to explore some of the central ideas in what might be termed personal development or self improvement given that everyday language and words prove inadequate. For example, do the words ‘universal energy’ adequately capture the fact that you and I are energy, living in a world and universe comprised solely of vibrating energy and that energy is responsive? Does the sobriquet ‘Law of Attraction’ mean different things to different people? And where are the boundaries between mind, body and spirit?
In fact, of course, there are no boundaries between mind, body and spirit in the same way that there are no limits between us individually and the universe of which we each comprise an indispensable and intergal part. We are not just part of a whole, when it comes to us as individuals, there is just one – mind, body and spirit are simply artificially imagined aspects of the one. This is important because, when you consider the facts in this manner, it is obvious that our thoughts have an immediate impact on how we feel physically and mentally. For example, when one dissects the problem of stress and its very real physical results, we realize that our thoughts directly cause shifts in body temperature and heart rate, changes in the creation and release of a whole range of chemicals all of which, if unchecked, lead to serious illnesses – such as heart attack and stroke – and, if seriously out of control, will lead to untimely death.
My point us this. Our state of mind has a direct impact on the mental state of others around us – this has been proven many times by research in the field of psychology. How much more does our state of mind affect us, ourselves? Your health, fitness and wellbeing are all direct consequences of your mental state. Even your weight – your inclination to put on too much of it or a variety of eating disorders from bulimia to anorexia – is a direct consequence of what is going on in your head.
And what is going on in your head is directly within your own control – or can be if you make the effort to make the simplest and, ultimately, most liberating decision that we can all make as responsible adults – choosing your own thoughts. The normal mind is tortured by ineffective thoughts, most of which emerge from the subconscious. Research concludes that the normal subconscious focuses on the events of our childhood years and is more likely to focus on the more negative events. That is our default state of mind. That is not to say that we can’t choose what we’ll pay attention to, however.
You’re your own boss. Your life, in all its aspects, is created by what you’re paying attention to – whether you know it or not. The ultimate and powerful choice that I’ve just mentioned can be taken, day to day, each moment, by deciding to pay attention to the actual sensory experience of the here and now. This is the only cast-iron way of stopping your own subconscious wallowing in self-sabotaging thoughts. No other way is as effective, no other way gives you the power to completely transform your fitness, your health, your wellness, your personal effectiveness and, ultimately, your ability to live a life of peace, happiness and unbelievable success.
