When the father of my high school sweetheart asked me
that not untypical question asked by fathers, “what is
your intention regarding my daughter?”, he had no idea
how much he would, years later, transform my life, and
the lives of many other people.
My reply was an honest and stammered “I don’t know.”
What else could I answer? I had not actually thought
about it. Of course, at that time in my life, it was my
hormones and not my mind that governed my actions
most of the time.
Many years later, another young lady asked me that
same question. She was flirting. “What dear sir,” she
asked me, “are your intentions about me?” I knew the
answer this time and answered her truthfully. “To bed
you,” I replied. It turned out to be the right answer. It
matched her intention to a tee and I was pleased with the
result. I trust she was too.
More importantly, it started me thinking. And soon, I
was asking myself that life changing question everyday.
“What is my intention in doing what I am doing right
now?”
I have expanded that question over the years to include
the various other aspects of my beingness.
What is my intention in thinking what I am thinking?
What is my intention in feeling how I am feeling? What is
my intention in believing that thing or idea?
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If I do not have a clear answer and if what I am doing,
thinking, feeling or believing at any given time does not
actually serve me in some way, I stop. Then, I go about
believing, thinking, feeling on purpose with specific
intent.
What do I desire?
I want to be happy. Ok, so how does it serve me to be
angry or frustrated? It doesn’t, so there is no good reason
to feel that way. I can choose to feel forgiveness instead
of anger if someone does something not nice or
inappropriate.
I want to be successful. Ok, so how does it serve me to
waste hours of my life watching television? It doesn’t. So
I got rid of my television. There are only 1,440 minutes in
each day. How many of them do you want to waste
watching some mindless entertainment? For me, the
answer is almost none.
I could go on and on about the ways my life has been
transformed by asking myself that simple question,
“what is my intention…?”, but I think you already have
the point.
As a result, my life is lived with a fair amount of
intentionality. I still find myself occasionally doing things
without any real purpose, but not all that often.
Now, when I am mentoring people, it is quite common
for me to ask, “What is your intention in believing that?”
(or thinking that, or saying that, or feeling that way). It
usually startles people to be asked that in the same
dramatic way I was startled by that father who was
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concerned about my intentions. Most people have just
not ever thought about it.
When, for example, was the last time you asked yourself,
“Why do I think that way? Does it serve me in some
way? Is there a purpose to thinking what I think? Or is it
just random non-productive noise?”
Once you have created that ideal, or set of ideals, for
yourself and your life, you will need to bring
intentionality and purpose to your thoughts, beliefs,
feelings and actions if you are ever to achieve that ideal.
The four principle elements of conscious creation are:
thought, desire, belief and intent. Self-mastery is
attained when one establishes conscious control of all
four elements.
Creating a life of abundant happiness and success is all
about bringing congruity to your self and the way that
you go about being in the world. Form your ideals in
your imagination. Visualize them in their completeness.
Be passionate about them. Desire their materialization.
Affirm their reality to build your belief. Be grateful for
their existence. Then act as if they were already existent
in the material as well as in the imaginal by doing those
things that support them.
In other words, be, do and have in agreement, in accord,
with your ideals and you will produce or create their
manifestation. Be congruous. Act harmoniously. Have
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accordance with your ideals. You will be living your life
‘on purpose’. Success will naturally result.
Sadly, most people live lives happenstancially, with only
rare and fleeting moments of clarity of purpose. The
good news is that anyone can start today to live a life of
meaning and purpose by bringing intentionality to their
lives.
It is often said that the purpose of life is to live a life of
purpose. Unfortunately, so many people stumble around
vainly attempting to figure out some grand purpose for
their life, not knowing that if they only brought
intentionality to each present moment, their life would be
filled with both purpose and meaning.
In conversation with one of the people I coached a few
months ago, she said to me, “I did not intend for my life
to turn out this way?” It was the perfect opening for me.
“How did you intend for it to turn out?” I asked. “I don’t
know, but not like this,” she answered. “So, if you had no
clear intent, then how can you possibly expect anything
except some random unplanned result?” was my next
question.
These are hard questions to be sure, but the truth is that if
you are not living each day of your life on purpose, then
how can you possibly expect it to turn out anyway except
accidentally.
It is ok for a child to say, “I didn’t do it on purpose,” in
response to some accidental event; but it is not acceptable
for any adult human being to pretend that they are not
responsible for the things that happen in their life.
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The cold hard truth is that if your life is not living up to
your expectations, it is because you have made some
inappropriate choices that have resulted in you having
the results you have. If you would rather have your
things show up in your life by choice rather than by
chance, then start asking yourself as often as possible the
following questions. What is my intention in doing what
I am about to do? Is there a purpose to what I am
thinking, how I am feeling, what I am doing? What do I
expect to get out of it? What result will this action
produce? Why am I doing this thing?
Why? is always the best question. It is not what; not who;
not where; not when; not even how; but the question
"why?" that is the best source of both wisdom and power.
As soon as you begin to ask yourself why, you begin to
accumulate both power and wisdom.
Yes, you can learn a lot by asking what, who, where,
when and how; but in asking why, you get to the heart of
the matter. For example, what you think is critically
important; BUT why you think what you think is even
more crucial; AND, knowing why you think what you
think will give you enormous insight into who you are
and how you are creating what you have in life.
Why do you think what you think? What is your intent?
Why do you believe in what you believe? Do you have
any intent in believing in that? Why do you feel the way
you feel? To what end? Why do you do what you do?
Why do you have what you have? The answers may
provide insight; but it is the asking of the question that is
the source of any wisdom gained. The answers may
show potential; but it is the asking of the question that
demonstrates your willingness to express your personal
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power. The question really comes down to... what exactly
are your intentions?
It is really quite simple. Thoughts, thought thoughtlessly;
beliefs, believed in without critical examination;
emotions allowed in reaction; things done without a clear
and purposeful intent will produce unintended results.
When you are being and acting without intentionality,
you are simply a creature of event and circumstance.
When you bring intentionality to all that you are and all
that you do, you become a causal agent and can
consciously create the events and circumstances that will
provide the ease and abundance you desire.
Without intention, the way things unfold in your life
appear to be confusing and even, perhaps, chaotic. When
your intention is applied, the way things unfold in the
universe appear to be harmonious and in sync with your
own ideals and expectations. It is your intentionality that
brings a harmony of thought, word and deed and it is
this harmony that puts you into the flow of things.
Your intent is the expression of your will. Your will is
your personal power. If you allow yourself to hold any
thoughts or beliefs or emotions or allow yourself to
perform any actions without a very specific intention as
the primary motivation, then you are not claiming your
power and not expressing your will. And you are not
living on purpose.
When your predominant and repetitive thought patterns
are intentionally chosen, when your core beliefs are
intentionally and consciously chosen, when your primary
emotions or prevailing attitudes are consciously and
intentionally chosen, when what you do and what you
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enact is done on purpose and with purpose, with
intentionality, you are powerful indeed.
So pay attention to your intentions.
What are your predominant thought patterns? Why do
you choose to think those repetitive thoughts? Why do
you choose to think anything you think? To what end?
Does it serve you in any way to think what you actually
think? Is there any clear intent behind most of your
thoughts or is this stream of consciousness that is
constantly running through your mind just random
noise?
If you are honest with yourself, you will see, like most
people who indulge in this self-reflection, that 95% of
what goes on in your mind has not been consciously
chosen to serve some defined end or goal and, in all
likelihood, does not actually serve you in any discernable
way.
Here is the good news. You can actually train your mind
to think mostly those thoughts that do serve you in living
your ideals and achieving your goals. Sure, it takes some
discipline at first to develop new habitual ways of
thinking, but the rewards for being in control of your
own mind are enormous. And as you practice this mental
control over what goes on in your mind, it gets easier and
easier.
A person who thinks on purpose, who chooses his or her
thoughts intentionally, who stops thinking those
thoughts that serve no useful purpose, who focuses his
thoughts on his ideals and goals, ends up being not only
successful, but happier and more fulfilled.
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Learning to think for yourself makes you very powerful.
You become capable of consciously creating the life you
envision and desire for yourself. It is more than worth the
effort.
One of the most important realizations that anyone can
come to is that thoughts create reality. Your thoughts
create your reality. It is not just that the way you think
that determines how you interpret the world; the way
you think also determines how you behave and thus
create results.
Thoughts actually become things. This is not new news.
It's not some ethereal theory. It's not a fanciful
philosophy without any direct application to your day-
to-day life.
It is the single most important piece of knowledge
possessed by humanity. It is the primary cause behind
your success or failure in life.
What was once known only to metaphysicists is now also
known by physicists. It is a scientific fact. Thought
creates. Click picture below to watch video.
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I am not just referring to the kind of creative thought that
brings about art or technology. All thought creates all the
time. Your every single thought is creating your reality in
every moment.
I'll say it again for emphasis... your thoughts create your
reality. Bluntly, if your reality sucks, it is because your
thinking sucks.
The great good news is that if you desire to change your
reality, it is as simple as changing your thinking. In order
to improve your life, you only need to improve your
thinking.
Simple? Well, there are a couple of impediments. These
are what hold most people back from profound change
or improvements. They act in the same way that an
electronic invisible fence serves to keep a dog from
roaming free.
First, you are accustomed to (or addicted to) thinking a
certain way. You have been trained to think a certain
way. Most people are too lazy or too scared to think
original or intentional thoughts. Most people actually do
not even pay any attention to what they are thinking.
They don't know what they are thinking or why they are
thinking what they think. Do you?
Second, you exist within a consensual societal reality
picture, a collective consciousness, a meta-meme, that
serves to limit your ability to have original thoughts.
Most people blindly accept the norms of their cultural
conditioning; things are the way they are... that is reality.
They ignore the fact that it is those who have challenged
the normal thinking patterns, those who have thought
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outside the box, that have brought about the advances in
human society or that have created their own
extraordinary and successful lives.
So, in order to transform your thinking, and thus, your
reality, you must exercise a purposeful discipline. You
must learn how to think on purpose. You must resist
your tendency to revert to old ingrained habitual
thinking. You must decide to opt out of the mass-mind
and act as an individual, intentionally choosing what,
how and why you think what you think.
First, figure out exactly what you are thinking; what are
your predominant repetitive thought patterns. Pay
attention to your thoughts. Where do they come from?
Why do you think that thought? What does it create in
your life?
Second, decide (choose) to think those specific thoughts
that will serve to create the reality you desire to see
manifest in your life.
Every artifact, every tool, everything ever designed or
created by human beings for their own need, comfort,
luxury, amusement or advancement began as an idea, a
concept… a thought.
All wealth had its origins in thought. It is thought that
creates. Everything that human beings have created is a
product of mind. Wealth is created; it is the effect;
thought is the cause.
A penny for your thoughts? How about a billion pennies
instead for just one thought? No matter how you define
wealth, your attainment of this wealth will depend upon
the quality and consistency of your thinking combined
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with the clear and firm desire to realize what you
idealize.
It is patently obvious that, since your mind is the cause
and what you have is the effect, the place to work on
your wealth is in your own mind.
Those who achieve and keep great wealth have learned
to control the quality and consistency of their thoughts,
their attitudes and their desires. They have learned to
think ‘on purpose’ instead of accidentally.
If you can, despite all distractions and obstacles, keep
your mind focused upon what you idealize and desire,
you will move steadily toward creating or realizing your
ideal/thought.
Most people do not do this. They allow conditions and
circumstances to determine how they think, how they
feel and what they end up with. Their allowingness of
that which is outside of themselves to control their mind
and their results turns them into victims.
Those, who, through the use of their will, use that which
is inside themselves, that is… their own mind, their
consciousness, their idealizations, their thoughts, their
desires, their passions and their beliefs to control who
they are and what they create, end up as victors in the
game of life.
In other words, if you want to have more out of life, you
must first become more. Since it is in your nature to want
more, the only way you can find any kind of personal
fulfillment is to become more.
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It does not matter what it is that you want more of; the
only way to get it is to become more. You become more
by taking control of your Self… your mind, your
passions, your beliefs, then your words and deeds and
thus… your results or what you end up having.
There is a simple, yet profound, formula for creating
success… be > do > have. Or, I as prefer to express it…
become > enact > attain.
If a hundred people are given exactly the same
opportunity and the same resources to exploit that
opportunity and the same playing field to take advantage
of that opportunity, and 10 people excel at that
opportunity and 10 fail (80% are average or mediocre),
where is the difference?
The answer is that since the only variable in the equation
is within each of the people, it is the mind, mental
attitude or will-ing-ness to grow and become more that
determines those who win and those who lose (and those
in the majority, who will, for comfort sake, remain
average).
Losers will, of course, blame it on anything else and
refuse to accept responsibility for being at cause. Winners
will have chosen to become and do what was necessary
to take advantage of the opportunity. They have accepted
that they, themselves, are at cause and are grateful for the
opportunity to prove that they can succeed, to prove that
they are masters of their own destiny, not victims of fate
and fortune.
So ask yourself, what are you thinking? A penny’s
worth?? A million$ worth?? Just exactly what are you
thinking and why? What is your intention in thinking
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what you are thinking? Want more out of life? Take
control of yourself. Think on purpose, not by accident.
Live your life by design and not by default.
Most people never achieve the levels of success and
happiness they aspire to. And these 90% of people
willfully ignore the fact that 90% of the time, 90% of their
thoughts are creating results they do not intend or desire.
Always, according to these people, it is the outside
conditions and circumstances that are to blame for their
lack of hoped for results. They steadfastly refuse to
closely examine their own thought processes and
steadfastly refuse to accept responsibility for what and
how they think.
I'll tell you this... if you really, really desire to create for
yourself the ideals of wealth, health and happiness you
hold, you will have to learn to think on purpose. A
hammer is a tool. A chisel is a tool. Anyone can use them
to chip away at concrete. Michelangelo used them to
create the statue of David (and more). The mind is a tool.
Many use it to chip away at life. A few use it to create
their ideals, the life of their dreams. Your mind is your
own. It is a tool. How you use it is up to you.
We can all see the stupidity of someone wanting to be
healthy and fit but spending their evenings channel
surfing in front of the boob tube eating junk food. It is the
same as wanting to be wealthy while spending most of
the time thinking random non-productive thoughts.
Physical exercise produces results. So does mental
exercise. Living on a diet of junk food will prevent or
destroy your health. Living on a diet of mental junk will
prevent or destroy your wealth. Simple thing to
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understand; yet most folks live on mental junk. They
watch mindless drivel on TV. They allow societal
programming to dominate their thought processes. They
don't examine what they are thinking. They don't make
the effort to think on purpose. They don't flex their
mental muscles.
Can you think and grow rich? You bet. That is how all
riches are created. Most, however, are more habituated to
the "think and grow poor" way of life. Opt out of the
mass mindset. Start thinking creatively. Start thinking
wealthy thoughts.
The laws of the universe are immutable. One such law is
that thought creates. Like gravity, it works all the time,
not just when you want it to. Your every thought is
creative. Scattered thoughts create scattered results and
that sometimes confuses people and leads them to
believe that thought is not always creative. 15 minutes
per day of positive, focused, purposeful thought cannot
completely override 23 hours and 45 minutes of
unfocused, negative and accidental thought.
If your results are mixed, it is because the quality of your
thoughts is mixed.
You can deny but not escape that plain and simple truth.
Do you want to create intended and desired results? Get
control of your thoughts. Do you yearn to be wealthy?