Chapter 26 Chapter Five Cultivate a Peaceful and Happy Mood

Action seems to follow feeling.In fact, this is not the case. Actions go hand in hand with feelings.We can regularize actions that are directly conditioned by the will, and we can also indirectly regularize those that are not directly conditioned by the will. A few years ago, I was interviewed on the radio: "What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your life?" That's easy to answer, the biggest lesson I've learned so far is the importance of the human mind.If I understand your mind, I certainly understand you as a person.Our thoughts make who we are.Our attitude determines our destiny.Marcus Aurelius was not only the emperor who ruled Rome, but also a great philosopher. He summed up a sentence that determines your destiny: "Thoughts determine life."

Yes, if our thoughts are happy, we will be happy; if we think only sad things, we will be sad; if we have fearful thoughts, we will be fearful; if we think bad thoughts If we think of failure, we are doomed to failure; if we always feel sorry for ourselves, others will be afraid to avoid it.Norman Peel said: "What you know is not who you really are; but what you think in your heart is what you become." To fully illustrate the power of thought, let me tell you an astonishing story, I could write a book about it, but I will only briefly describe it here. One October night, shortly after the Civil War, a homeless woman, Mrs. Glover, was wandering the streets dazedly. She wandered up to the door of Mrs. Webster, the wife of a retired sea captain, and knocked.

The door opened, and Mrs. Webster saw a poor little woman, weighing no more than a hundred pounds, all skinny.Mrs. Glover explained that she was looking for a place to rest, to think and work through the problems that plagued her day and night. Mrs. Webster said, "Then stay here overnight! I'm alone in this big house." Later, Bill Ellis, Mrs. Webster's son-in-law, who happened to be on vacation from New York, found Mrs. Glover living at home and immediately snarled, "I don't want a rogue living at home! The homeless woman was driven out. She stood in the rain for a few minutes and had to seek shelter in the street.

What is striking about this story is that the "rascal" who was thrown out by Mrs. Webster's son-in-law went on to become one of the most intellectually influential women in the world—Mary Baker Eddy, later known by hundreds of people. Thousands of believers - because she is the founder of the Christian Science sect. But back then life was just a series of ailments, sorrows and sorrows to her.Her first husband died shortly after her marriage.She was abandoned by her second husband, who died in a slum after falling in love with a married woman.She had only one son, but because of poverty and illness, he had to be raised by others when he was 4 years old. She lost all contact with her son and never saw him again for 31 years.

Because of her poor health, she has been interested in what she calls "the science of spiritual healing" for several years.The really dramatic twist, though, came when she was walking alone on a cold Massachusetts night when she slipped on the icy sidewalk and fell unconscious.Her spine was severely injured, causing her whole body to go into convulsions.Even the doctor declared that she was about to die, and even if a miracle happened, she would be paralyzed for life if she survived. Mary, who was almost lying on the bed waiting to die, opened her Bible. She believed that she was guided by the Holy Spirit, and she saw a passage from the Gospel of Matthew: "So they took a man who could not walk, Lie on the bed and come to Jesus...Jesus said to him 'Peace, child! I have forgiven your sins...get up - take your things and go home! So the man got up and went back'. "

She later said that Jesus' words created a force within her, a real faith, a healing force that enabled her to "get out of bed and walk in no time." Mary said: "That experience led me to discover how to treat myself and others... I have scientific assurance that this is all the inner strength of people, and it is a psychological phenomenon." In this way Mary started a new religion: Christian Science - the great religion founded by one woman - which is now popular all over the world. You must be thinking by now: "This Carnegie has converted to Christianity." No, you are mistaken, I am not a member of Christian Science, but the older I get, the more I believe in the great power of ideas.Years of experience in teaching adults has taught me that people can really change their minds, overcome worries, fears and even various diseases, and change their lives.I know!I am sure!I've seen this change hundreds of times, and I've seen it so many times that I no longer doubt it.

Blind Milton discovered the same truth 300 years ago: "The mind, which is its own temple, can be heaven within hell, or hell within heaven." Both Napoleon and Helen Keller are the best interpreters of Milton.Napoleon, who combines glory, power, and wealth, said: "In my life, I can't find 6 happy days." On the other hand, Helen Keller, who is deaf, dumb, and blind, once wrote in her book : "I found that life is so wonderful!" After living half a hundred years, if I have really learned anything, it is that "no one else can bring you peace but yourself".

The great French philosopher Montaigne enshrined the following sentence as a rule of life: "It is not the event itself that hurts a man, but his perception of it." And the perception of events is entirely up to us. When you're emotionally troubled and your nerves are on edge, you can use willpower to change your state of mind, exactly!But that's not all, I can also tell you how to do it, it may take a little work, but the secret is very simple. William James is the top master of practical psychology. He once had this experience: "Action seems to follow the feeling, but in fact the action and the feeling are parallel. If you control the action with your will, you can also indirectly control the feeling." It is said that although we cannot change our emotions immediately by making up our minds, we can indeed change our actions.When we change our actions, we automatically change our feelings.His explanation is: "If you are not happy, then the only way to be happy is to sit up straight and pretend to be happy when you talk and act."

Does this simple little magic really work?Go and see for yourself!In no time, you'll see what William James meant—it's impossible to be psychologically melancholy if your actions radiate happiness. Let me ask you a question: If just being happy and positive can save this person's life, why should we bother about trivial things? Let us remember the famous words of William James: "Any obstacle can be overcome by changing the attitude of one's heart from fear to struggle."