Monday, December 1, 2008

Choosing Our Thoughts


"Whether you think you can
or whether you think you can't,
either way you are right!"
-Henry Ford

Think about this. What if most of what we have been Taught in
life is wrong?

Look at a child. A child has an unlimited Imagination and is full of
excitement. However, there comes a time when we turn this excited,
imaginative child over to society in order Learn how to become
"mature". We strip this child of Individuality and replace it with
conformity.

After a short period of time this enthusiastic, adventurous child
becomes a dispassionate, purposeless adult who is taught to
pursue the Specters of Conformity and mediocrity. This child is
taught to live a life not of their own creation, but a life based
upon the expectations of "society".

How very sad.

We can all relate to this scenario because, at one time, each one
of us was that excited, imaginative child who looked forward to
Becoming an adult in order to pursue our dreams and Adventures.

But, something happened along the way. We were told that our
dreams were immature and childish; that it was now time for us
to "grow up".

We Believed this Advice because it came to us from well-meaning
parents and teachers. We abandoned our childhood dreams and
succumbed to adulthood only to feel that "something is missing"...
"something is wrong".

For those of us who feel that life has somehow misled us, there is
good news!

That excited, imaginative child still lives within every one of us. This
Child is not dead; it is merely suppressed and is aching for a way
to re-become itself.

How do we re-become our Child-Self? We simply Change our
State Of Mind.

Ask anyone who has achieved Greatness in any field and they all
have one thing in common. Every one of these people is quoted
as saying that "it was their Thoughts that Created the person that
they ultimately became"!

Many of us believe that we must suppress our dreams and follow
the crowd.

By joining the crowd, we become "the crowd" and reap whatever
benefits, or shortcomings, which crowd-membership brings upon us.

However, there is always that small minority who refuse to follow
the "way-of-the-crowd". These Lone Wolves follow their own Path,
chase their own Dreams and Value their own Thoughts.

From this minority come the Individuals who go on to achieve
Greatness. They are the Individuals who ultimately become our
Heroes.

It is interesting to consider that each one these Heroes had been
told by the masses that what they want to achieve "could not be
done". It is only after their achievements were realized that the
masses worshipped these achievers as Heroes.

To be like everyone else does not make us Special. We can only
be Special by being different from, and standing apart from,
"the crowd". We do this by having a different State Of Mind.

But, what is this State Of Mind that retains the Excitement Of
Youth?

It is our Free Will to Choose. It is a Choice to Dream, Imagine, and
Fantasize.

It is a Decision to use Today as a building block for Tomorrow. It is
a Choice to look upon every day, every Action, and every Event as
an Adventure.

It is the Decision to discard the shackles of conformity in order to
pursue the Dreams that are forever within us and are desperately
Seeking a way to express themselves through us.

It is a Choice to Travel our own Path; to live in a different World.

Those who are Eternally Young understand, and live by, this
principle. They are the Adventurers who measure their lives
not in "earth-years", as most people do, but by their Experiences
and Pursuits.

Each one of us has the ability to remain Eternally Young...Travel
our own Path...create our own life...and experience new and
fulfilling Adventures.

We simply have to turn the Key that opens these doors to us. And
that Sacred Key is our State Of Mind. It is never too late to
Change our State Of Mind, re-become our Inner Child and pursue
the Dreams that still live within us...and excite us!

See also: "Your Choices Define Your Destiny"

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.


© copyright Joseph Panek 2008
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