The Miracle of Books

Sometimes as a discussion starter, people will ask, "If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?" It is always a fun question to listen to people answer. It gives you a good look into their interests.

But of course, it is all a dream isn't it? I mean, we can't ever get the chance to interact with the great minds of history, could we?

Well, actually, we can! That's what books are for! In fact, I would argue that reading a book written by someone great, or a book written about the life of someone great may even be BETTER than an evening with that person. Why? Because if you spent a dinner with someone, you would have random conversation, interrupted by others at the dinner with you, but when you read a book by or about that person, you get to spend hours of uninterrupted time with that person's thoughts and ideas! How amazing is that? You could spend time with Thomas Edison, William Shakespeare, Margaret Thatcher or Bill Gates.

The miracle of books is that they sow seed ideas inside of you, and ideas--when they come to fruition--produce manifold benefits for you.

Internal Communication - How We Speak to Ourselves

Every single human being has internal dialogue every day. It is the thoughts that make up our thinking all day long. There are two kinds of thoughts:

First, the thoughts about what is going on and about the people around us:
That building is tall.
That flower is beautiful.
Today is Friday, and the weekend starts tomorrow.
Tom is a nice guy.

Second, the thoughts about ourselves:
I am smart.
I could never do that.
I want to achieve more.
And so on.

We all have thoughts that fill our minds. The power for our lives comes when we make the connection between the thoughts we think, the actions we take and the results we see in our lives.

Here is how it works: The thoughts we think take control of the actions we perform, which produce the results we see. For example, if we think, "I really love to work out and the way it makes me feel," we will more likely find ourselves working out. Working out, in turn, will help us get in better shape. So, the progression goes from the internal dialogue - what we tell ourselves - to the actions that express those thoughts, to the results that come from those actions.

The key is to control the thoughts we think and to be purposeful about them. So, how are we purposeful? Good question! The answer is to begin with the end result you want, and work backward:

If you want to get in better shape, then you would ask yourself what actions would work for you to attain that goal. Then you would ask yourself what thoughts you could fill your mind with that would produce the action of working out more often. Maybe write down ten thoughts that would give you a foundation of a healthy outlook on working out. Then memorize them and meditate and think about them throughout the day. Let them begin to be your natural thoughts. You will find that they will produce those actions, and the actions will give you the desired results.

The Power of Passing It On

A young woman said something very powerful and something that I think would do us well to think about this week. She talked about passing things on and the power that comes from that.

You see, we do not live our lives in a vacuum. We are the extension of lives that came before us, and we extend our lives into those who come after us. We receive - both good and bad - from those who come before us. And we give - both for good and for ill - to those who come after us.

Have you thought lately about what you have received from those who passed their lives on to you? Maybe now would be a good time to thank those who have helped you to become who you are.

Have you thought lately about what kind of life you are passing on to those who come after you? Now may be a good time to start thinking seriously about the life you are living and what exactly you are passing on. Now may be the perfect time to become very purposeful about what you are passing on and the legacy you are leaving.

The beauty of the power of "passing it on" is that we can choose to give to others something even more powerful and beneficial than what we ourselves received. As I write this, I am twenty-nine years old, and the home my family just moved into three years ago is the 6th home I have lived in during my life. The greatest thing about our new home is watching my nephews enjoy a home that they can live in and feel safe, secure and peaceful in.

I am teaching them how to be successful in life and in a more secure environment than I ever had for myself growing up. That is something I am passing on to my family. And hopefully, they will go much further than I could ever dream of.