Have you signed up for the 5-day challenge that will start on Monday, November 4? You can find out more about it and sign up at bit.ly/LoveEncourage.
To prepare for the challenge, today I am sharing one of the topics we will explore.
FILLING OUR MINDS WITH THOUGHTS OF LOVE
Love exercises an attractive force and is the source of unity. The greater the love among the members of a family or organization, the stronger the power of attraction that maintains the unity of the group. Unity facilitates cooperation and motivates service, two attitudes that are necessary to achieve significant results.
The more we fill out thoughts, words and actions with love, the better relations we will have with others and the more effective the actions of our group. Together, love, cooperation, and service form a virtuous circle, reinforcing one another.
The reality of human beings, what distinguishes us from animals, is thought. What we think, sooner or later, influences our actions. These reflect what we really think, which at times differs from our words. Thoughts are like seeds and actions, their fruit.
In Real Magic Wayne Dyer tells the story of a boy from Jamaica who dreamed of becoming a doctor. Even though they lived in extreme poverty, his grandmother encouraged him, saying that he should always keep in mind his desire and act to achieve his vision. After graduating from high school, the youth applied to hundreds of universities for a place in a pre-med program; but they all rejected him. He didn’t give up. Finally, he was accepted by a university in Europe. He moved there, working to pay for his studies. When he finally became a prosperous physician, his friends and relatives commented on how ‘lucky’ he had been. (Adapted from Wayne Dyer, Real Magic, chapter 5)
Just as concentrating on positive thoughts and acting on them gradually brings them into existence, dwelling on negative thoughts leads to harmful actions. People who are full of resentment may constantly think about how they were wronged and complain about how badly someone treated them. It would not be surprising if one day their anger explodes and they get into a fight with that person. Even if they control themselves and avoid a fight, their ongoing negative thoughts can lead to depression and even illness.
Once we are aware that thoughts have the power to influence our actions, we can consciously influence our thoughts, by making wise choices about what goes into our minds, selecting:
- The movies and TV programs we watch: Are they inspiring or are they full of conflicts, lies, deceit, explicit sex and violence?
- The books and articles we read: Do we usually choose content that inspires us, makes us think or teaches us something useful?
- The web pages we visit: What thoughts and feelings do they generate in us?
- The topics about which we converse: Are we positive and hopeful, or are our conversations full of blame, complaints, and pessimism?
- Our friends: Studies indicate that we tend to reflect the values, habits, and lifestyle of the five people with whom we spend the most time, whether personally or by exposing ourselves to their ideas through reading their books or interacting with them on the internet. With whom do we spend most of our time?
Everything that goes into our minds influences whether we generally have positive or negative thoughts. To a considerable degree, we can select that content.
If we want to strengthen our capability of loving, we can experiment with the following practice.
Identify specific people to whom we wish to show greater love (certain members of our family, colleagues, members of an organization to which we belong).
Every morning we ask ourselves: What can I do today to show love to each person I have chosen?
Throughout the day we can check in with ourselves to see if we are carrying out what we have planned.
Arielle Ford reminds us: “Love is both a choice and a behavior. Every day we choose whom we love and we choose to express this love through loving behaviors.” (Ford, Arielle, Turn Your Mate into Your Soulmate, p. 31)
If you haven’t yet done so, sign up for the challenge at bit.ly/LoveEncourage. One of the participants will win a free copy of the audiobook.