Tag Archive for: thoughts

Elevate Your Thoughts

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐›๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐.
All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is a direct result of our ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ.

Eagles and Crows.

Consider this short story by Vernon Howard, about a community of eagles that lived on a beautiful mountain range.
“The eagles were happy and found an abundance of food in surrounding woods and streams. Their days were spent in lofty soaring in the beautiful blue sky, high above the world. But down on the dry prairie, there dwelt a band of devious crows. The crows had access to a low grade of corn in glittering packages. They looked for unsuspecting travellers who they could get to eat the corn.
Now the eagles were smart enough, but careless at times. Though they were cautious at first, the corn looked pretty good. Besides, it saved the effort of hunting. So, the eagles soared less and less and began dropping down to the crows’ cornfields more and more. Of course, the less they flew, the less they felt like flying. Growing weak in their wings, they began to believe that they were meant to be down on the ground with the crows.
But there was one eagle who sensed that something was not right. Besides, the corn didn’t really taste as good as the crows said it would. When he tried to persuade his eagle friends to return to the mountains, the crows ridiculed him. Believing the crows, the eagles shunned their former friend.
Growing tired of it all, the lone eagle studied himself carefully. He tried his wings, and something deep inside told him he belonged in a higher place. So off he flew, back to the mountains. Then from dawn to dusk, he soared over his beautiful world, free to be what he was always meant to be – an eagle.”

Your Thoughts

In our personal life, we can all be affected by many blinding influences.
If we are not careful, we can be deceived by false beliefs and teachings spread by millions of “devious crows.โ€
They are able to convince many to take the “easy street”.
But all of us are really ๐ž๐š๐ ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ.
We are all meant to soar!
There are a few ways to think about “crows” around us, including negative thoughts, that can be random, unpleasant, agitating and anxiety filled mental impulses.
Despite these thoughts, each of us can overcome them and become a powerful influence for good.
๐’€๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’•๐’‰๐’๐’–๐’ˆ๐’‰๐’•๐’” ๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’‘๐’๐’˜๐’†๐’“ ๐’•๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’„๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’” ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’๐’Š๐’‡๐’†.
My invitation to everyone today through this timeless fable, is to elevate your thoughts, don’t get stuck in the mud, you are meant to soar above this world!
โ€œFor as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.โ€ โ€“ Proverbs 23:7
Now – off you go…. Take Flight!

As a Man Thinketh

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ?
“For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” – Proverbs 23:7
The vast majority of Proverbs were written by King Solomon.
You will recall that he was regarded as one of the wisest men who ever lived.
Each concise proverb is designed to give us a deeper perspective on life, living, and in turn, hopefully better decision making!

My question then isโ€ฆ

โ€œIs this statement actually really true?โ€
Consciously or subconsciously our minds are always in motion.
โ€œYour thoughts are the architects of your destinyโ€ said David O. McKay.
The ability to learn, to think, to choose, and to reason, all define us as human beings.
I believe that our innate ability to think, goes much, much deeper.
Essentially, our thoughts become a reflection of who we really are.
Daily, we can choose to fill our minds with whatever we want.
And there is so much choice!
Good, Bad, Beautiful, Ugly, Happy, Sad, Clean, Unclean, Cheerful, Dreary, Hope, Despairโ€ฆ..
Whatever we choose to let into our minds will in turn, generally become the pattern of what will then transpire in our lives.
Who we are, and where we are, in life is principally the result of our own actions and choices, all of which begin in our minds as thoughts and desires.
If you think it long enough, you are very likely to do it.
Daily we choose.
Daily we act.
It is in our minds that our futures are made.
We are responsible for the thoughts we think and the purposes we pursue.
You are the master of them.
Controlling our thoughts helps us to conquer ourselves.
โ€œWhat we see triggers what we think, what we think influences what we desire, what we desire affects our actions, our combined actions determine our character, and our character determines our eternal destiny.โ€ โ€“ Dallin H. Oaks
Is your mind a happy place to be?

Words Matter

Do you listen to your heart?

Words matter.

All week long one word has played continually into my thoughts.

Iโ€™ve felt as if it has been etched not only upon, but also into my heart and mind.

No matter where I went, or what I did, it would always return.

Itโ€™s an unusual word.

Indefatigabilityโ€ฆ! (Dutch โ€“ onvermoeibaarheid)

I wasnโ€™t even too certain what it meant, so I looked up the dictionary definition.

โ€œTireless determination, incapable of being tired out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring.โ€

I reflected upon the definition for a while.

I questioned myself and asked “What does this word mean for me?”

After a while, I began to understand.

Day in, day out, week in, week out, I am surrounded by young missionaries who possess the most remarkable indefatigable spirit.

I am with them, constantly.

Being with them one by one, in group training sessions and large conferences, I am reminded of the desire of their hearts to share their witness and testimony of Jesus Christ.

They all take several knocks โ€“ daily.

GRIT

Yet, each of them possesses grit!

True grit!ย  And Iโ€™m not talking about John Wayne!

A toughness, an indefatigable resilient courage, to bounce back, again and again and again.

As defined by Angela Duckworth, grit is โ€œOur passion and perseverance to reach long term goals.โ€

I am so grateful for my association with each and every one of them.

They have been called from many different countries and cultures all across the world to bring a message of hope and peace to a world that is in constant peril and commotion. (2 Timothy 3:3/D&C 45:26)

Through my personal interactions with each of them, I am a witness to the fact, that they possess an indefatigable zeal and testimony of the message they share.

It is a message of great hope, peace and centred in their love of Jesus Christ.

I know that when the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy, regardless of what is happeningโ€”or not happeningโ€”in the world or in our lives.

As President Russell M. Nelson has said โ€œthe joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.โ€

If you want to find real joy, peace, purpose and meaning in life, then I suggest you listen to your heart.

Reach out to one of these indefatigable young men or young women today. They will help refocus your life.

#HearHim

A little wink

Do they smile back at you?
Last weekend, Monic and I were visiting Brussels.
We had the opportunity to speak in church services on Sunday.
Whilst Monic was speaking, I noticed a little boy, around 6 years old, looking directly at me.
In that split second, I made eye contact with him, tilted my head slightly to one side, smiled, and gave him a friendly little wink.
He smiled back and tried a little wink too.
For a brief moment in time โ€“ we enjoyed our little connection and smiled together.
It was an innocent thing.
In that instant, a thought entered my mind when I was his age.
Immediately, in my thoughts, I dismissed my well-rehearsed, prepared talk, already provided to the translators in advance and shortly thereafter apologised to them.
As I stood up, I shared the impressions of my heart and mind.
Slowly, I told my simple story.
Look out for little impressions and ideas, if you are listening, they always come.
The power of a little wink.
Be careful how you use it though, you just never know who may smile back at you!

Think!

Lately, I have reflected on many of the wonderful experiences I’ve had in my life. My journals too have really helped me to recall some great memories.

My invitation today is a simple one.

It is a really valuable exercise every once in a while to close your eyes and think! Whilst doing so, you can reflect upon lots of questions – try this one for starters…

“What is the most wonderful moment I have lived through during the last year?”

It could be a special large event, or a very simple moment or a lovely conversation with a good friend. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. Simply slow down, close your eyes, take a moment, remember that special occasion and let the warm feelings that will come lift your spirits and fill your soul. I know that memories have great power!

Remember – change starts in your thoughts!