Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

      We rented the movie Life of Pi last night. Interesting. Thought provoking. Symbolic. Young boy Pi has some problems. Fairly serious problems, too. He negotiates these trials and tribulations very well.  What makes the movie more than just a series of experiences is what the experiences mean to Pi. The situations and conclusions are singularly Pi's to interpret, to define. That's the real movie. That's real life. That's what is most important. We cannot control every life situation or outcome, but we can say with confidence what every situation and every outcome means to us. Interpreting life is ours to do, and only ours. Purpose and meaning are ours to determine. In other words, it's not what happens that defines our life…it's what we think about what happens that defines our life. 

     We discover in our education of "how things work" that thinking is everything, and that our everyday lives are defined by us in any fashion we choose. Our behavior, emotions, experiences, are in and of themselves nothing without our definitions, explanations, and assigned meanings. Personal responsibility is the key to understanding how one can take charge of his or her life, changing it this way or that, or feeling a certain way about it all. When you change your thinking and you change your life and ultimately YOU. 

"The Package: Reason, Emotion, and Behavior"

     Thinking is everything. Yes. But what is thinking? Basically and elementarily put, brain activity that results in feelings, behavior and more thinking. Brain activity? The brain is an ocean of cells and neurons. Like everything else, the brain is chemistry in motion. The brain is an organ with hemispheres, sections, components, parts, and each of these individual entities plays a very important role in the overall health of an individual.

     Thinking is important, but thinking without emotion is not a happy alternative. The great rational philosophers often concluded that reason should rule all of life. Emotion should be tamed by logic and rationalization. If you made every decision without the slightest hint of emotion, you would likely spend most of your time trying to decide. We need our emotions to make good decisions. However, making decisions without much thought is also dangerous. NFL quarterbacks must make an number of important decisions while avoiding the rush of three hundred pound linemen on the opposing team. The outcome of the game depends on his ability to make successful decisions among many possible choices.

     We make better decisions when we have trained our brain to do so. We can be trained to live positive, happy, successful lives. We can be trained to make good decisions. Educating the brain, training it to perform as we wish in order to maximize our potentials, opportunities and successes, while minimizing pitfalls is an open possibility for each of us. Taking advantage of unlimited resources for learning will help ensure our capability and capacity for dealing with the issues that arise in our lives.

     Education and training is critical to higher functioning individuals. This training includes identifying, owning and managing emotions. Emotions unmanaged may sabotage any rational thinking and calculating abilities. Thus, it is a critical component of any well-managed life. Thinking, feeling and doing. All important. But, thinking is everything. You know what I mean?

"The Language of Letting Go"

     Few books on my shelves have prompted more discussion and helped more people navigate the sometimes perilous waters of life than Melody Beattie's book, The Language of Letting Go. If I could point out three or four required reading books, this book would be in the top two. Daily topics seem to be extremely relevant, and personal to whatever one might be going through.

I normally recommend only those books that have stood the test of time, relevance and helpfulness. Beattie's book does all three. Published in 1990 by Hazelden, this book has sold millions of copies and continues to be one of the classic self-help (how trite) books....it is much more. The book can be used as for Daily Reading, topical reading, cover-to-cover, or any way you chose.

Get it. Read it. Enjoy it. Benefit from it.
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