Thursday, September 22, 2005
recurring themes
it's always interesting when the universe decides to send us thoughts, insights and ideas on a recurring theme for a few days in a row. it seems to suggest that taking a longer look at something might be in order.
this has been the case this week as i continue to get one universal hello after another on the theme of 'we are what we think', or more specifically we are what we think of ourselves.
today, this quote arrived in my inbox, thanks to a fabulous service from thinkexist.com:
huh, i thought, sounds a lot like what i've writing about lately. as i thought about it further what it brought to mind was the power of thought over action.
action is what ultimately makes things happen, what gets results, but thoreau's quote seems to suggest that without the foundation of thought, our actions really have no oomph. he doesn't say how hard someone works determines his fate, or how many brilliant ideas he generates, or who he knows. he'd probably agree with us that all of these things can impact one's fate, but his point seems to be that what we think of ourselves matters more than any of this.
in a world so focused on accomplishment, production and output it can be hard to remember that our thoughts have great value. but they do. i'm sure we can all think of times when we were feeling confident in ourselves and were able to pull off tremendous things, and then later when coming from a place of less confidence fell flat in our efforts.
so what do you think of yourself? what kind of fate are your thoughts leading you towards?
if you are like me, and i think most humans out there, you could probably be thinking more highly of yourself a lot of the time.
my proposal is to make a "to think" list, like a to do list, but of things to think rather than to do. brainstorm the things you love about yourself, the things you are good at, the things other people love about you and make yourself a list. keep it handy, say on your bedroom or office wall or in your planner, and let it remind you what is true of you.
and as always, feel free to share, i'd love to read your "to think" lists so post 'em here!
dream big,
-kirsten
this has been the case this week as i continue to get one universal hello after another on the theme of 'we are what we think', or more specifically we are what we think of ourselves.
today, this quote arrived in my inbox, thanks to a fabulous service from thinkexist.com:
It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate.
-Henry David Thoreau
huh, i thought, sounds a lot like what i've writing about lately. as i thought about it further what it brought to mind was the power of thought over action.
action is what ultimately makes things happen, what gets results, but thoreau's quote seems to suggest that without the foundation of thought, our actions really have no oomph. he doesn't say how hard someone works determines his fate, or how many brilliant ideas he generates, or who he knows. he'd probably agree with us that all of these things can impact one's fate, but his point seems to be that what we think of ourselves matters more than any of this.
in a world so focused on accomplishment, production and output it can be hard to remember that our thoughts have great value. but they do. i'm sure we can all think of times when we were feeling confident in ourselves and were able to pull off tremendous things, and then later when coming from a place of less confidence fell flat in our efforts.
so what do you think of yourself? what kind of fate are your thoughts leading you towards?
if you are like me, and i think most humans out there, you could probably be thinking more highly of yourself a lot of the time.
my proposal is to make a "to think" list, like a to do list, but of things to think rather than to do. brainstorm the things you love about yourself, the things you are good at, the things other people love about you and make yourself a list. keep it handy, say on your bedroom or office wall or in your planner, and let it remind you what is true of you.
and as always, feel free to share, i'd love to read your "to think" lists so post 'em here!
dream big,
-kirsten
# posted by kirsten johnson @ 5:04 AM 