Creative Thoughts

Yesterday, I spent the day at the Triangle Caregivers Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was among the 60 exhibitors who brought services and products to display for the 400 attendees. By the way, my service is presentations on the eldercare process and my products are my latest book and healthy chocolate. (Unabashed self-promotion, here).

The keynote speaker was a dynamic bundle of energy, Cheri Britton, who hails from Asheville, NC in the western end of the state. In her presentation, she shared that human satisfaction in life is not determined by the external circumstances in which we find ourselves, but by what we think about those circumstances. Her premise was that "What you think...you are." Negative thoughts, angry internal dialogues lead to negative energy that surrounds us and draws more negativity. She promotes BOOM thinking:

• Put the Brakes on your thinking. Stop and acknowledge what you're thinking and feeling.
• Observe what's happening when you are negative. Is there a trigger, is there a stressor, what are the feelings, what's leading to the negative thoughts?
• Obliterate the negative thought. You find what you look for so reframe the thought to place it in positive-- or at least more neutral--ground.
• Make a new mindset. What would you rather think? Switch your thinking to focus on what you want.

As I listened to Cheri, I realized that she was presenting in a humorous and practical way something that many spiritual teachers have been telling us--we are Co-Creators with God. As spiritual beings engaged in human endeavors, we have the power to co-create by "thinking" something into existence.

Dr. Wayne Dyer, in his book 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, two of the ten secrets deal specifically with creative thinking. #6 is "You can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it." and #10 is "Wisdom is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you." All the other secrets discuss different ways in which your mindset and your thoughts can affect your entire inner landscape.

Psychological counseling knows from experience the value of affirmations that a client creates for himself and repeats over and over until those affirmations replace the negative mindspeak and the client moves about in the world with more confidence and a more positive attitude.

As you intend, so shall ye create. Yoda's famous "There is no try." points to the power of intention. It is somewhat difficult to imagine that by simply changing your thinking you may change your life, your opportunities, your connections. But there is nothing simple about changing your thinking, so ingrained it can be. Repetition, practice and that spark of the Divine we all have can do the job, if we allow them.

Do you think you're a Co-creator with God? Are your thoughts creative? Can you change your life by changing your thoughts?

Think about that...