Thoughts That Materialize - The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge
Thoughts That Materialize
What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. Job 3:25
You have the ability to paint a picture of what your life is going to look like. You may not get all the details exactly right, but you certainly have a part in shaping your future. Your perspective today has a lot to do with what happens tomorrow. What you believe and what you expect have a tendency to come about.
This is why it’s so important to be careful how you speak to yourself, think of yourself, conduct yourself, and develop yourself. The landscape of your future is in large part determined by what you think it will be and by how you see yourself in it. This is “the power of self-realization,” which study after study seems to validate. That doesn’t mean you can manipulate your future, but there’s a strong connection between your perceptions and your outcomes. Those who have positive expectations experience positive results more often than those who have negative expectations. So it’s vital to make sure your perceptions are positive.
If you have the option of painting a picture of your life, why not make it a good one? Envision your future, your accomplishments and achievements, and your God-given significance. Base it on what you know to be true, of course, not on your own sense of pride or unhealthy ways to satisfy your needs. But within the values and dreams God has given you, paint a picture of where you want to go, what you want to be like, and what you want to accomplish. Expect good and pursue it rather than simply going through life without a plan and seeing whatever happens.
I’m not suggesting life will always be easy if you have the right thoughts, or that blessings will be showered upon you if you simply start thinking positively. But negative thinking sets you back. I’ve seen it happen again and again with athletes and teams living out their self-fulfilling prophecies. The way I see it, if these “prophecies” tend to be self-fulfilling, they might as well be positive ones.
With God’s help—His power, encouragement, and energy flowing through our lives along with the gifts, abilities, and talents He has given us—we can shape the future. Because He created us, we have the potential of living lives of significance, possibility, and impact.
Uncommon Key > For better or worse, what you envision often begins to take shape. Be intentional and choose to envision a life of significance, possibility, and impact.
