Chapter 2 choose the right thought

In Genesis, God bestowed upon mankind the power to rule the earth. This is a great gift, but I have no interest in this great power.I just wish I could rule over myself—control my thoughts, overcome my fears, control my mind and spirit. Peace and joy in life is not determined by where we are, or what we are doing, or who we are, it is entirely determined by our state of mind. A few years ago, I read the book "The Power of Thought" by James Allen, which had a profound impact on my life.There is such a passage in the book: "If you change your views on things and people, things and people will change you... If a person's thoughts change drastically, he will be surprised to find that in life, his own situation also changes rapidly. There is a magical power in the human heart, that is the self... All people are the products of their own thoughts... Only when people improve their thoughts can they advance and accomplish certain things. People who refuse to improve their thoughts only can dwell in the abyss of misery."

A few years ago, someone asked me, "What has touched you the most in your life?" It was an easy answer.So far, what impresses me the most is the importance of human thought.If I understand your mind, I certainly understand you as a person.Our thoughts make us who we are: our attitude determines our destiny. I am now 100% convinced that the biggest problem we have to face—in fact, almost the only problem we have to face—is choosing the right thought.If we can do that, we have already taken a shortcut to solving the problem. Marcus Aureus, not only the emperor who ruled Rome, but also a great philosopher, covered life in a single sentence—a sentence that determines the fate of mankind—"Thoughts determine lifetime".

Norman Pierre said: "What you know is not the real you; on the contrary, what you think is what you are." If thinking is happy, of course we are happy; if thinking is miserable, We'll be miserable; fearful thoughts beget fear; diseased thoughts can literally make people sick; thinking about failure is doomed to failure; and self-pity is what everyone will dread. less than. Don't think I'm preaching naive optimism, life isn't that simple.I just advocate replacing negativity with a positive attitude.In other words, we should be concerned with our problems, not just our worries.Is there any difference between these two?Every time I walk through the turbulent traffic of New York streets, I am very careful, but not worried.The same is true in life, the key is to recognize the problem and calmly take steps to deal with it, while worry is just panicking in circles.

The immediate setbacks don't stop you from going about your day with your head held high.That was the case with Lowell Thomas.I've had the honor of knowing him and recommending his videos.He and his assistants have been to at least six battlefields to shoot documentaries, including Allenby's conquest of the Holy Land.His speech on "Allenby in Palestine and Lawrence in Arabia" caused a sensation in London and around the world.London's opera season was postponed for six weeks so he could continue to tell his thrilling stories and show films at the Royal Opera House.After that, he took the film and caused a sensation in various countries around the world.Later, he spent another year shooting documentaries in India and Afghanistan.But then misfortune ensues, and the most improbable thing happens: he goes bankrupt in London, I was with him, and I remember we could only have a cheap dinner together - if it wasn't for Thom Si went to borrow some money from a friend, and we couldn't even afford that meal.What I'm trying to say is this: Lowell Thomas, in the midst of his enormous debts and setbacks, is only concerned with his own problems, not with real worries.He knew that if he was struck down, he would be worthless to anyone, including his creditors.Every morning before going out, he will remind himself to hold his head up.He is positive, courageous and refuses to be overwhelmed by setbacks.For him, setbacks are part of life!If you're going to reach the pinnacle of success, it's a rewarding grind.

Regarding the influence of psychological conditions on our physical abilities, the famous British psychologist Fred conducted a related experiment. He later said to me: "I invited three people to test the influence of psychology on our physical abilities. We used dynamometer to measure." He asked them to hold the dynamometer firmly with both hands and compare three different conditions.Under normal waking conditions, they had an average grip of 101 pounds.When they were hypnotized and told that they were all weak, they had only 29 pounds of gripping power - only 1/3 of normal physical strength (one of the three was a boxing champion, after being told under hypnosis that he was now weak, He then felt his arms were thin and weak, like a baby).

After the second hypnosis, he told them that they were all very strong.At this point their average grip can reach 142 lbs.In other words, when their hearts were filled with positive and powerful thoughts, each of them increased their physical strength by an average of nearly 50%. The power of the mind cannot be underestimated.For example, a wonderful event that changed because of the power of thought happened to one of my students.He had a nervous breakdown because of worry. This student told me: "I worry about everything, I worry about being too thin, I worry about losing my hair, I worry about never having money to start a family, I don't think I can be a good father, I worry about losing the girlfriend I want to marry, I worry Worried about not being good enough, I was worried about what other people would think of me. The pressure inside me was constantly building up, like a pressure cooker with no safety valve. Finally, when the pressure became too high for me to handle anymore, it finally exploded. If you've ever had a nervous breakdown...and hopefully you never have, no physical pain can compare to psychological pain.

"I was in such a serious condition that I couldn't even communicate with my family. I couldn't control my thoughts, I was so full of fear that the slightest sound would make me jump. I ran away from everyone, for no reason. Yes, I can cry a lot. "Every day is a struggle for me, I feel like everyone has abandoned me - even God, and I want to throw myself in the river for the rest of my life. "Then I decided to go to Florida, hoping that a change of scenery would help. When I got off the train, my father handed me a letter and told me to open it when I got there. When I arrived in Florida, it was the peak tourist season, because Couldn't get a room so I rented a garage. I went to Miami looking for a job and couldn't find it. So I spent all day at the beach feeling worse than at home.

"I opened the envelope to see what my father had to say. The note said: 'Son, you've been 1,500 miles away from home, but nothing has changed, has it? Take it away, and the trouble is yourself. Your body and mind are healthy, and what defeats you is not the various things you encounter, but your thoughts on these things. A person’s thoughts will determine what kind of person he is .When you've figured it out, boy, come home! For you're bound to be healed.' "This letter from my father pissed me off and I didn't want any instructions. I was so angry that I decided I would never go home again. I was wandering the streets of Miami that night when I passed a church where Mass was being held. There was nowhere to go, so I went in, and I heard someone say: 'It is greater to conquer your own heart than to capture a city.'

"I sat in the temple of God, listening to the same truths written in my father's letter, and these forces finally swept away many of my troubles. For the first time in my life, I felt refreshed. I found myself stupid. , when I realized myself, it surprised me that I had always wanted to change the world and everyone in it--in fact, the only thing that needed to be changed was my thinking. “The next morning, I packed my bags and headed home. A week later, I was back at work. Four months later, I married the girl I had been dreading losing. Now we have Happy family with five children. I have been blessed both materially and spiritually. During the period when I was not mentally well, I worked as a night shift foreman in a small department with only 18 people. Now, I work as a supervisor at a cartoon company , There are more than 50 employees under my management. Life is getting richer and richer. I know that I have mastered the true meaning of life. Even if there are some uneasy emotions sometimes, I will tell me that it is time to adjust myself, so I can be safe again.

"I have to admit that I was very lucky to have a breakdown experience, because that pain made me realize that the power of thought is much greater than other powers. Once I really realized this, I healed the stubborn disease in my heart. And never do it again. "I am now convinced that the peace and joy we experience in life is not because of where we are, or what we are doing, or who we are, but is entirely determined by our mental attitude. External circumstances really play a role. limited." Scott was the first Briton to reach the South Pole, and the return journey of their expedition was almost the most severe test that mankind has ever experienced.They were out of food and out of fuel.They couldn't move an inch, for eleven days and nights the gale that had blown across the poles was strong enough to cut through the Antarctic ice cliffs.Knowing that they would never return alive, Scott's team had prepared some opium for the situation.Because a dose of opium can make everyone lie down, go to sleep, and never wake up again.But instead of doing this, they died singing with joy.We know because a search party found them eight months later and recovered from their frozen remains a farewell letter that read: "If we had courage and calm minds , we can sit on our own coffins and enjoy the scenery, and we can sing to our heart's content when we are hungry and cold."

Blind Milton discovered the same truth three hundred years ago: "The mind is its own temple: it 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, once said: "I can't find a single happy day in my life." But Helen Keller, who is deaf and dumb, said: "I find life is so wonderful! " William James is the top master of practical psychology. He once made this description: "Action seems to follow the feeling, but in fact the action and the feeling are in parallel. Most of them use the will to control the action, and they can also indirectly control the feeling. That is to say, although we can't change our emotions immediately, we can change our actions. When we change our actions, we automatically change our feelings. If you are unhappy, the only way to make yourself happy is to sit happily Straighten your body, talk and act like you're happy." Does this simple little magic really work?Go and see for yourself!Put a real smile on your face, relax your shoulders, take a deep, gentle breath, and sing a song.If you can't sing, you can whistle. If you can't whistle, you can hum softly.In no time, you'll see what William James meant—it's impossible to be psychologically melancholy if your behavior radiates happiness. I know a woman in California who, if she knew this little secret, could clear her mind within 24 hours.She's a widow - it's really sad, I admit.Can she pretend to be happy?Of course not, if you say hello to her, she'll say, "Well, I'm fine!"—but the look on her face and her voice say, "Oh, my God! Look at me, I'm so unlucky !" She's almost berating you for being too happy in her presence.In fact, there are many more unfortunate women than her. The insurance money left by her husband is enough for her to live her whole life, and her married children have also given her a home.But I rarely see her laugh, and she complains that her 3 sons-in-law are petty and selfish-even though she lives in their house for several months at a time.She also complained that her daughter never gave her gifts—although she kept the money tightly, she insisted on "for my own retirement!" She is really deluding herself.Must it be so?The most regrettable thing is this - she can completely change herself from an unfortunate and miserable old woman to a respected and loved kind elder in the family - as long as she is willing to change.All these changes start with one action, which is to act like you are happy, and you can give a little love—rather than wandering in the abyss of your own pain. Mr. Ingler is alive today because of the discovery of this secret.Mr. Ingele suffered from scarlet fever ten years ago, but after recovering, he found that he had nephritis.He visited famous doctors all over the place and tried all the folk remedies, but none of them could heal well.Before long, his blood pressure also rose.He went to the doctor, who told him that his condition was dangerous and that he had better arrange his funeral first. He said: "I went home, checked my insurance was still valid, and I fell into a depression. I made everyone unhappy. Our whole family was in a cloud of depression, and I couldn't help it. After a week, I felt sorry for myself. After the day, I said to myself, 'You look like a fool! You probably won't be dead for a year, why not make life easier?' "So I relaxed my tense muscles, smiled, and acted like everything was normal. I have to admit, it was all faking at first - but I kept forcing myself to be happy, and it turned out not only to be good for my family, but also to help First I noticed that I was starting to feel better—as good as I pretended it was, and it was getting better and better until today—many months after my death, not only was I happy and healthy alive, I even My blood pressure has also dropped! One thing I know for sure is: if I keep letting the thought of 'dying soon' haunt me, the doctor's predictions will be right. Instead, I give my body a chance to heal itself, totally Because my attitude has changed." Let me ask you a question: "Why bother with little things if we can save this person's life just by thinking happy and positive? Are the people around you sad?" This is the first law of peace and happiness: Choose the right thought.