Your Mind is the Genesis of Your Condition

We have all heard, is some form or another, that as a man thinks in his mind, so is he. Gaining a lucid perspicacity of this truth is the beginning of the development of the infinite power necessary to control your destiny and so much more. Not only does your mind influence the internal mechanism of your character, but it directly impacts the external reality of your circumstances. In fact, a person’s circumstance cannot be divorced from the pattern of their thought, because the circumstances are the fruit of their thinking.

You should see your thoughts as seeds that function in the same manner as physical seeds. You can only return and harvest what you have planted. The problem is that most people sow the seed of their thoughts in ignorance of the power these thoughts possess to shape their realities and solidify their destinies.

Even when we consider the idea of a person’s thoughts impacting their life, we fail to fully grasp the magnitude of the force of thought — understanding that it literally transcends the influence of self-being, comprehensively invading the complete circumference of the person’s circumstances and condition in life. In simple, you are where you are as a result of your thought patterns and the habits and actions they inevitably produce. So, you will never be able to change your condition without first changing the way you think.

The power that your mind possesses is infinite in its capacity to completely shift the course of your life. Your predominant thoughts are constantly shaping your current reality through a number of different influential components and mechanisms.

“Your Thoughts are the architects of your destiny.” ~ David O. McKay

Your thoughts are the seeds — the genesis — of your future realities, circumstances and conditions. I often tell my clients, “you don’t get what you want, you get who you are, and you will always be the sum total of your thoughts.” This is an inescapable reality. As James Allen said, “we are the makers of ourselves.”

When you make your thoughts analogous to the act of sowing for the purpose of harvesting, you can see that there first is a blossoming of the seed, which is not the fruit, but a sign of what is to come. When it comes to thought, the actions produced by them can be seen as the blossom, now whether the fruit that will be produced will be suffering or elation will depend directly on what was planted by way of thought. The blossom, or action taken, will be in direct correspondence to your predominant thoughts, and it is those actions that work inexorably through multitudinous processes to form and usher in circumstances that will be indicative of your current condition.

Allow me to elucidate my point. No matter how much a person may say they want different results, if they never change their thinking, subsequently changing their behavior and the manner in which they interpret their circumstances, they will continue to get the same results. You must understand that, contrary to popular belief, your circumstances do not shape your life, they simply reveal your current condition and character.

When you change your thought patterns and see your circumstances for what they really are — a looking glass into the inner recesses of your personal axiology — revealing the foundation of your character and value system from which it operates. When circumstances are unfavorable, it is an opportunity for you to evaluate where you are and to adjust your thinking in areas directly associated with the negative circumstance. This is why people will often find themselves encountering the same negative situation — over and over again. Until you shift your thinking in a specific area, you will continue to produce the results of your current thought patterns. This must be understood as a universal law, because the reality of its force is immutable.

Cause & Effect

As it is in the physical realm of third-dimensional occurrences, the law of cause and effect is an undeviating, unequivocal force that controls reality. For every effect (insert result) there is a corresponding cause. When you want a new effect or result, you must adjust causality. You cannot change the effect without changing the cause. If you want to stop breaking your toe, stop kicking the wall when you get angry.

There is something else that you must understand, and that is that character is not bequeathed through some mystical form of appropriation upon the deserving or undeserving — by chance or by some form of favor. It is earned by the force of consistent thought. Your character is a direct reflection of your thinking. It is when a person is able to effectively form their thoughts with an intelligence of how the world around them works — keeping guard against negative ideations and impure intent — that their thoughts will produce the fruit of elation, success and peaceful conditions.

The Idle Mind

There is an old aphorism that has been often quoted for years; it says, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” This adage points to a poignant truth, which is that an unmanaged thought process does not remain stagnant and unfruitful, but the fruit it produces will not serve its host well at all. Imagine the mind as a garden, which can either be effectively and intelligently cultivated by planting specific seeds that will bear fruit, producing what is needed, or by neglecting the garden and leaving it to its own devices. What you will find is the cultivated garden will produce exactly what is planted and cultivated, without deviation, while the neglected garden will not stay barren, instead bringing forth useless weeds and poisonous plants that will drain the land. The mind is the same way, when unattended, and the proper seeds are not planted with consistency and care, wayward thoughts, influenced by external forces, will become the seeds of promise — seeds that can only produce poor conditions and suffering.

The Inextricable Bond between Thought and Character

Rarely is a person’s character directly affiliated with their thinking, but that does not change the fact that their character is actually a direct result of their thinking. In fact, it is impossible for character to manifest itself, at a point of discovery, outside of the environment of circumstance, which should be understood as the outward conditions of a person’s inner state. Therefore, when a person’s character is examined, it will always be discovered to be harmonious with their inner state of being — their thoughts.

When working with my clients, one of the greatest challenges I face is convincing them that their  negative circumstances are not actually a part of an external force moving against them, but the fruit of their thoughts coming back to challenge them to elevate their thinking. Life is not happening to you, it’s responding to you.

Your thoughts are literally a creative force of infinite power through you which you have the capacity to form the ideas (seeds) that will be cultivated and nourished, until they create the condition that is reflective of their origin. Positive circumstances can be birthed from negative thoughts and negative circumstances can never rise from the purity of good thoughts. The thoughts you entertain most will have the greatest impact on your external reality.

It is true that you are the master of your fate, because you are the guarder of your thought. Unfortunately, very few people guard their thoughts with any form of diligence and concern for the influences that move against it. Many people have certain feelings toward specific situations without the slightest idea of why. They have completely missed the fact that those intellectual stimuli and image impressions that they consistently expose their subconscious to have influenced their thinking, subsequently influencing the totality of their existence.

Your thoughts are an inner reflection of your character — the values that drive your desires — and only desires that are in direct harmony with your inner character can survive the entire process of manifestation. So, your circumstances are simply the means through which the human soul receives its innermost yearnings. Our thoughts move beyond the reach of our superficial outward expressions that supposedly identify what we want out of life — delving beyond the depths of the human psyche to pierce the spirit — the place of true passion and yearnings. We can proclaim the desire to be honest, upright, successful and more, but our circumstances and consistent realities will quickly reveal the inner-workings of our heart — our thought patterns.

As I stated earlier, circumstance is simply the Revealer of character that shows up as an instructor to fuel both, change and growth. Circumstances can produce both, suffering and elation, with one positively reinforcing a current thought pattern, and the other using discomfort to prompt change in an existing mindset.

Not until you accept the fact that the force that shapes your life is within, will you experience the desired changes that you are looking for.

From both, academic study and experiential observation, I have learned that it is a person’s mind that will either liberate them or create boundaries that imprison them. This is where many religious people fail miserably, based on the fact that they believe their artificially manufactured faith, accompanied by prayer, will produce the desires of their hearts. But, a person does not get what they want out of life, they invariably get who they are. You cannot get what you are not. In order to elevate what you are getting, you must first elevate your thinking. Ironically, this is why the Bible places such great emphasis on thinking (guard your hearts and minds, bringing every thought into captivity, etc.).

While many people will revolt against the reality of their current negative circumstances, they will produce no efficacious results. Remember the law of cause and effect is in play here, and your circumstances are simply the effect or result of something else — your thoughts. In order to change the effect, you must be willing to change the cause. It is the cause that constantly interferes with and retards efforts focused on change. Another way to view this is through the concept of putting the horse before the carriage. While having a desire to change unfavorable circumstances is a natural reaction to the discomfort it creates, it cannot be the first step in the grand order of change. No matter how hard you strive to improve your negative circumstances, your efforts will consistently be thwarted until you become equally committed to improving yourself as well, for it is the self (by way of thought) that produces the circumstances.

I have people come to me who are immensely frustrated. They have set these remarkable goals to do something extraordinary and exceptional, by all standards, but their efforts and progress are being frustrated perpetually. The reason is that their goals, and the behavior associated with them, are not in harmony with their character (value system).

Let me give you a real life example. I had a client come to me for one-on-one marriage counseling. He swore that he wanted to save his marriage, which was floundering and sinking fast. After spending some time with him, I identified the behavior behind the troubled marriage. He was a sole provider for his family, and he had a value system that rewarded him for his hard work by justifying his hanging out with his male buddies up to three times a week after work, and on weekends. Well, obviously, this put a strain on his marriage, because his buddies are taking priority of his wife and family — which is not a very good look for any marriage.

So, I told him that he was going to have to cut his interactions with his “boys” down to once per month. He said that he would do it. Six months later, he comes back to me, and he is fuming. He says, “I did exactly what you told me, and it has actually gotten worse.” So, if he did what I told him, why weren’t things any better? His actions were not in alignment with his belief system and personal values. He still believed that the fact that he was the sole provider meant he should be able to hang out with his buddies whenever he wanted, so he did what I asked him to do, but he did it begrudgingly. His wife was able to sense his resentment and animosity, and so she responded with resentment of her own. I worked with him for weeks to change is views, and when he changed his views, spending time with his wife was no longer viewed as a sacrifice, but an honor and a pleasure. His marriage recovered, and they are doing better than ever.

It is not simply the effort and actions that matter, but the alignment of those efforts with who you really are. You will have to change you before you can change your negative situation. In fact, that is the primary purpose of a negative situation — to give you a look inside at your character and to demand that you change it.

It is not until a person ceases from their campaign to blame others for their condition that they begin the process of seizing greatness. It is when you recognize that there is a regulatory force at work in your life that is more powerful than any other — your thoughts. Whining and complaining can produce no true results associated with positive change, but the adjustment of wayward thinking will produce consistent progress.

Order Over Chaos

It is immensely important to understand that the universe is one of order, not chaos. The order of the universe is governed by a set of mutable and immutable laws that produce uniform results. When a person begins to alter how they view themselves, others and life in general, they will begin to see positive changes in their outward condition. If you are looking for an accelerated transformation in your life, then you must be committed to a radical shift in your thinking. There is no other way.

So, you can see that the common misconception that one can hide their thoughts from plain view is blown away when the power of the mind is placed underneath the microscope. Thoughts are not simply invisible ideas, but rather the seedlings of materialized habits that produce corresponding circumstances and realities.

Psychosomatics: The Effect of Thoughts on Your Health

For years, scientists have understood and studied the impact of thoughts on physical health. The body is, in essence, a tool of the mind, and it is bound by the idea and concepts conceived within the mind. One of the most powerful representations of this truth is the famous four-minute mile. Before 1954, is was believed that no one would ever break the four-minute mark in the mile. The belief was that it was simply humanly impossible, and it was that belief that corralled thousands of those who ran the mile. But, in 1954, things changed. What changed exactly? Roger Banister came along and he made up in his mind that he was going to run the mile in under four minutes. The first place that he began to move against this barrier was in his mind. He had to mentally convince himself that he could do it.

Once he was mentally convinced, he was able to change his workouts to accommodate a faster pace per quarter mile. You see, because people did not believe it was possible they did not even train for the possibility. Roger Banister trained with a purpose of breaking the barrier, and he did just that. While that was considered miraculous in and of itself, what was even more miraculous is that in the next three years, more than 1,000 people would run the mile in under four minutes, and since then, more than 20,000 have done it — with some being high school athletes. You see, the mind is far more powerful than the body. The body always follows the cues given by the mind. The problem for most people is that they send the body poor cues.

When there is the presence of worry, anxiety or stress, the body will release the hormone cortisol, which is actually designed to help the body manage temporary stressful situations. Cortisol is what triggers the flight or fight response, which also includes the hormone adrenaline. The problem is that when the mind constantly entertains thoughts that produce stress, you begin to suffer what is known as chronic stress, which can result in cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, organ damage, chemical imbalances and much more. This chronic condition is a slow killer, slow but sure.

Psychosomatics is how you explain, one spouse dying within hours or mere days after the other. The mind controls the will to live. During the Korean war, it is reported that once prisoners of war gave up hope of being rescued, they would simply go lay on a cot, tell everyone to leave them alone, and within a day or so, they would be dead.

When you expose your mind to negative thoughts, the repercussions of those thoughts will permeate throughout every orifice of your existence, including your physical existence. When the mind entertains degradation, the body begins the process of degradation. In the same manner, when the mind entertains positive and uplifting thoughts, the body can experience healing. When functioning optimally, we are completely self-contained and self-sustained. The mind remains the most effective physician in history, but we must simply relearn how to use it.

When a person consistently entertains negative thoughts, such as envy, suspicion, cynicism, hatred and fear, they confine themselves to a self-imposed prison, from which only they can free themselves.

How Your Thoughts Impact Your Achievement

Every achievement in life, and every failure, are a direct result of your thoughts. Your entire reality exists as the direct fruit of your thinking. So, if you want to improve your capacity to achieve in life, you must develop a limpid anagnorisis that the capacity of achievement cannot transcend the condition of the mind and its predominant thought processes. When you understand that you get what you are, then you understand that you must change who you are to get more. This demand for a metamorphosis can only be met through the process of radical thought transformation. One must raise their standards, which includes a lowering of their tolerance for things associated with failure, such as excuses, blaming, playing the victim, etc. Additionally, they must also raise their expectations for themselves. The universe will only meet you at the level of your expectations — no higher.

The place you must start in developing the mental capacity for optimal achievement is in the acceptance that your reality is all your own. Individual responsibility is an absolute reality that cannot be circumvented in the quest for greatness. What this means is that your weaknesses and strengths, imperfections and nobleness, purities and impurities belong to you and no one else. Understanding this is the beginning of growth and personal achievement.

There is only one way that a person can lift themselves from the current situation to new heights — by raising the level of their thinking. In the same sense, the only way that they can remain in the same low state is by refusing to elevate their thinking. Often, people who refuse to elevate their thinking will tend to respond to negative circumstances through emotional compulsion, rather than critical thought. They also lack the wherewithal to formulate methodical planning and strategic order — rendering them ineffective in their quest for achievement.

When it comes to achievement, you are only limited by the thoughts you choose to entertain.

Why We Need Visions and Dreams

One thing that I have learned is that the physical world (third-dimension) is supported by a more vast and powerful invisible world (fourth & fifth-dimensions). Reality is first manifested in the invisible realm through thoughts infused with faith. Long before we see the reality of great accomplishment and the bearing out of visions and dreams, they existed — first in the mind, and then in the spiritual realm — where they gained momentum, definition and clarity. What this means is that it is the dreamers of this world that sustain its order, its life and its force. Without the dreamer, the very breath of humanity would be zapped away in an instance. It is the dream that feeds the hope of the masses, and provides the idea of possibility. Dreams took men to flight, streamlined communication mechanisms and made the world just a little bit smaller.

Earlier, I mentioned that this universe is one of order, and in this order there is one truth that has been upheld since the beginning of time. The person who harbors a vision, refuses to relinquish it, cherishes and nurtures it as a grand ideal will one day realize it in all its splendid glory. If fact, if you dare to dream the loftiest of dreams, you will find that your dreams are shaping your reality. Your dream will become a prophecy of sorts, revealing what you will one day become. ~ Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.