Shakespeare, the Buddha and many others have spoken about the power of thoughts, words, mind. An earlier post of mine contains this quote: “Each word we speak has a life of its own, a vibratory signature that creates waves into the expanse of the universe…” What a powerful image to visualize our words and thoughts sending energetic waves out into the world, our world, the whole world, the universe!
The/our world continues to be deeply, troublingly challenging as well as richly, amazingly miraculous. What is the role we want to play in the unfolding? Whatever our personal answer, our words and our thoughts feature significantly. The Daily Om offers an essay on this topic: Elevate Your Language, about how we can contribute to positive change through our choice of words. We can be a force for good by continuing to direct our thoughts and words toward kindness, equity, diversity, inclusion, even in the face of contrary actions of others.
It’s a big one for me, because I certainly have put my foot in my mouth, or stepped on someone’s toes, and/or in proverbial doo doo, when I have blurted. Elevating, reflecting on, being attentive to, careful with, my thoughts and words… taking a breath before anything comes out, are all valuable and ongoing practices for me. I find it can also be helpful to read motivational stories and inspirational quotes. Here are two:
“Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.” – Buddha
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” ― William Shakespeare
How does this all resonate with you? I’d love to hear. We’re in this together.
PS In case you’re really into all this, here are a few more links about how our mind and mindset make a huge difference in our life and experience. It is deep and powerful, radical and transformational stuff.
• David Suzuki devotes one of his episodes of The Nature of Things to Brain Magic and The Power of Placebo about the incredible power of our minds to affect our lives, health, healing. (Sorry about the ads… the program is worth waiting for.)
Other relevant posts for your consideration:
• Actions and Reactions: What’s Really Going On? When we are on the receiving end of what seem like mean-spirited actions, it’s really hard to know what’s really going on, and it is very easy to jump to conclusions, and they are usually not very open-hearted ones! Thich Nhat Hanh offers another way of experiencing such moments. It has made a huge difference in my life recently.
In honour of International Women’s Day, particular attention to remembering and noticing the power of our words and thoughts, indeed the power of our mind, seems appropriate, relevant, and even vital. Here are some motivational stories and actions to inspire us!
