He who cannot change...

He who cannot change the very fabric of his thoughts will never be able to change reality, and will never, therefore, make any progress. Anwar Sadat

This is the lesson I learned from Chapter four of the 8th Habit by Stephen Covey. I actually had to stop and read this statement four times. I was so blown away by its meaning that I needed to slow down and really take it in.

So often people are caught up in negative self talk and thoughts. They feel victimized by life around them and feel powerless to change their situation. The first lesson I learned from this chapter was that we can change our response to a stimulus. We can choose our thoughts and are responsble for our actions and outcomes. If we can choose to feel better, is it really that simple? If I change my thoughts to be more positive will this really change my reality? I believe so.

So why then does it sometimes feel so challenging to do that. I think its because we have been conditioned to think that good things aren't supposed to happen to us. We believe that if good things happen that we are lucky and if bad things happen then we are unlucky. Have you ever heard someone say, "good things never happen to me" or "I never win anything". Well they are probably right. I wonder if they changed their thinking to "I have abundance in my life" or "I am grateful for everything I have", if that would make a difference in how they view things. I believe it would, don't you?

I guess the only really way to know if this works or not is to try it. Are you up for the challenge? Write this quote down in a place of prominence. Say it everyday to yourself and commit to changing your thoughts so that they are only positive. Let's see what happens.

He who cannot change the very fabric of his thoughts will never be able to change reality, and will never therefore, make any progress.