Guest Post: As I Think, So I Am
The following is a guest post from Nicholas Rivera of Holistic Fitness. Our outlook on life plays an important role in how we respond to our environment and, in turn, how it responds to us. The following article sheds some insight into becoming accountable for your thoughts.
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Today I’m going to discuss one aspect that, when applied in my life, completely changed the person I am today and created a dramatic shift in my life that allowed for pure love and beauty to flow freely into my reality.
Have you ever had one of those days where a certain circumstance or event causes your whole day to be a disaster? It can start off with something as small as stubbing your toe on the bed post when you wake up as you’re rushing out of bed to make it to work on time. Already frustrated, you go to make your morning cup of coffee and accidently spill the steaming hot coffee onto your work shirt, you think to yourself, “Damn! I just had these dry cleaned yesterday. Stupid coffee!” There’s no time to change your shirt you must make it to work on time or else your boss will not be too happy. On your way to work you find yourself stuck in traffic because of a roadside accident….yes, one of those days. It seems as if it is a coincidence that one event after the other falls into place, in this case the wrong place. You think to yourself, “it can’t get any worse than this!” or, “stupid traffic! I’m never going to get to work!” as you honk your horn demanding others in front of you to get out of the way.
Well I’m here to tell you every one of those events is a manifestation of your thoughts. You are what you think, it is that simple. Everyone surrounding you in your life, the environment that you live in, the circumstances that you find yourself in is all a result of what you are thinking on a day to day basis, whether it is good or bad. We create our own suffering, if your mind is constantly filled with thoughts that are fearful and hateful, trouble and distress will manifest into your life clouding your perception. Filling your mind with thoughts that are peaceful and loving, desiring a higher truth, bliss and freedom are sure to be present in your life. As James Allen quotes, “we reap the sweet and bitter fruit that we sow, because what we’ve become was built with our thoughts”.
A plant springs from a seed, without the seed there is no plant, it works the same way for our thoughts. Every one of our actions springs from the hidden seeds of our thoughts; no action can exist without the initial thought that allowed the action to manifest. We are a direct result of our thoughts and when we can begin to understand this we can really harness our true potential and experience the true beauty of life. You do not have to accept every thought in your mind as truth. You may think thoughts of doubt, you may think you’re not good enough, you may think someone doesn’t understand you or you may think you’re perceived as a joke. You have to understand that all of these thoughts are stories you make in your mind from past experiences or past thoughts of what you were told growing up as a child and thoughts that are based on fear.
We fear being something greater than ourselves and all the changes and responsibilities that come along with being something greater than what we think we can be. James Allen in his book As We Think, So We Are goes on to say “fearful and misguided thoughts of every kind crystallize into debilitating and confusing habits, which solidify into distracting and adverse circumstances”. Fearful thoughts distract and blind us on our path of growing as individuals. Thinking in a fearful manner will always create a circumstance that steers us away from opportunities and challenges our souls need to face for growth. Our fears indicate to us what needs to be overcome to further develop into who we want to be.
If you want to experience the power your thoughts have in your life you first need to change your thoughts and change your story. Before you can change your story or your thoughts you need to know what your thoughts are! So here is an exercise I want you to do at least once a day for 5-10 minutes minimum for 28 days:
1. Find a quite space where you know you will not be disturbed (no computer, cell phone, T.V., video games, etc.)
2. Sit down in a comfortable position. Either on the floor (yogi style) or if you need support for your back, use a chair
3. Make sure your spine is straight and that your feet are firmly grounded on the floor (shoes should be off)
4. Close your eyes and start to bring attention to your breathing. Notice where in your body you tend to focus your breathing (chest, rib cage, abdomen) and don’t try to change your breathing, don’t judge it, just let it be.
5. This is where your thoughts will start to go berserk in your head, calmly observe them as if watching clouds pass by in the sky. Have no attachment to them. Whatever it is can wait for 5-10 minutes longer.
6. As you get better at this “watchfulness”, you will notice a pattern of thinking. Every time you perform this exercise write down afterwards thoughts that you noticed come up often for you. They can be good or bad it doesn’t matter write them down (it would be a good idea to get yourself a little notepad for this)
7. About half way through (or even before, if you notice a pattern quickly) when you have a good amount of thoughts written down, I want you to look at the thoughts that make you feel upset, angry, sad, all the negative thoughts and read a loud and with confidence before each one of these thoughts….”I am never upset for the reason I think____________” and just be aware of how you feel after that affirmation and then let it go and continue.
8. Look at the positive thoughts and think about why they make you feel so good. Close your eyes and imagine yourself with this person, in this place, accomplishing this goal, whatever it is that makes you feel these positive feelings.
9. MAKE SURE THIS IS PRACTICED FOR 28 DAYS AND NOTICE HOW YOUR LIFE HAS COMPLETELY SHIFTED!
If you think about waking up to a day full of disaster, consider what usually changes a day like that around in an instant. You’re probably thinking “what can turn around a horrible day like that!?” Well usually, it always starts when you receive a simple smile from a friend at work or a loved one or it can’t even be a stranger. Someone comes up to you and says, “Hey, it’s going to be alright” and offers to buy you lunch. Your reality shifts as you begin to think, “Hey maybe it is alright!” Suddenly all the events that you previously experienced don’t seem as horrible as they were a minute ago, to the point where you actually start to laugh about it with friends. You finally crack a smile and the sun comes shining through the clouds. You go back to work and your boss compliments you on your work. When you leave home from work that night you drive peacefully down the highway with no traffic in site. This is all a result of the power of your thoughts. As soon as you change your perception and change your thoughts no matter what, your experience will be a direct outcome of the seeds you cultivate in your mind.
“We can describe the mind as a garden that may be carefully cultivated or allowed to run wild. Whether cultivated or neglected, however, it must grow—and it will. If no useful seeds are planted, then useless weeds will grow instead of the desired flowers and fruits, and they will continue to intrude and produce their kind” -James Allen
About the Author
My name is Nicholas Rivera and one of my hobbies is experimenting with holistic practices, philosophies, and ideologies to help better myself and in return better those around me. I am currently a personal trainer and working on becoming a holistic life coach in April through the C.H.E.K institute. As of now I’m certified as a personal trainer under AAPT (American Academy Of Personal Training), and I’ve been certified for a year and 3 months but I’ve been training and involved in fitness since I was about 13 years old (now 23). Throughout my journey searching for what my purpose is in life and constantly contemplating on how to get closer to being a higher version of myself. Over the past 6 years I’ve been presented with life changing experiences and introduced to brilliant souls that have opened my mind and expanded my consciousness. My goal or purpose in life is to help create a space in which people are comfortable to be who they are allowing their true self to fully blossom. I do this by introducing a holistic approach to health and fitness through personal training, different holistic practices such as, Yoga, meditation, qi gong, relaxation techniques, etc. All of these techniques are combined and used accordingly depending on the persons needs and goals. If you find this article interesting, please stop by my website at Holistic Fitness or my YouTube (Holistic Fitness on YouTube).
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Keep it strong, keep it vegan.
Reblogged this on jossconlon.com and commented:
This article hits the nail pretty squarely on the head. I am in the process of writing a portion of ONE YEAR LATER that describes this phenomenon in action, very nearly the way this author describes it. The fact is we create almost all of the “drama” around us by how we see things from the moment we awaken. The lesson is that if we approach each new day with gratitude, and as an opportunity to grow to a higher point than we were when we started, then it’s nearly impossible to have one of these cumulative “bad days”.