By UDEME ARCHIBONG

EARL Nightingale observes, “All of us are self-made but only the successful will admit it.” We are made or unmade by our thoughts. The only thing we have absolute control of in life is our minds and the content of our minds determines the context of our lives. In other words, our minds hold the key to our destiny. A great life is a product of a great mind. A messed up life is a product of a messed up mind. The mind is like a magnetic field that attracts into your life people, activities, philosophies, lifestyle, events and circumstances that corresponds or harmonizes with it.

Thoughts chart the course of our lives and are the cause of our experiences in life. Whatever enters our life is but the physical expression of some form of belief in our mind. Our thoughts are the forerunner of our lives; where your thoughts lead your life follows. Your mind is the control center of your life; your thoughts control your words, emotions, attitude and self-image-your destiny. Your life experience is a mirror of your mental images.

Your innermost convictions create your outer conditions. Your life pattern always harmonizes with your thought pattern. The state of your mind becomes the state of your life; the condition of your mind becomes the condition of your life. Whatever you hold in your mind upholds your destiny. Whatever, comes alive in your mind comes alive in your life. Whatever you lose grip of in your thoughts you lose grip of in your life.

Your thoughts define your life; your mind moulds your destiny. Whatever controls your mind controls your destiny. Whatever thoughts you get rid of in your mind repels off from your life. Reality is the summation of your thoughts because thoughts are a creative force. Whatever is evident in the sphere of your life had already existed in the domain of your mind or in the circle of your thoughts. Your destiny rises and falls according to the level of your most dominant thoughts.

Every time your mind is at work, creation is at work. Whatever you dwell in thought dwells in your life. You become discouraged or unhappy when you dwell on discouraging or unhappy thoughts. And as you continue to dwell on the unhappy thoughts you attract other unhappy thoughts which worsen it.

Much more, if the unhappy thoughts become your dominant pattern of thinking, you attract into your life unhappy people, events and circumstances on the same negative frequency with the unhappy thoughts and even your physical health could be adversely affected. The reverse is the case if your dominant pattern of thinking reflects happiness and positivity. It is not what happens to you that matters; what really matters is what happens in you. It is not the circumstance of life that counts what really counts is what you think about the circumstance.

Whatever you mentally picture you out-picture in your experience. Whatever thoughts you focus on will expand and perpetuate in your reality. Your entire life can change completely by choosing to redirect your focus of thoughts. You have the power to direct and change your life because you have the power to choose and control your thoughts.

Ponder on the words of Saint Paul, “Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things (fix your minds on them)”.