The old saying goes... "Thoughts turn into words, and actions, and behavior, and character. It all starts with thoughts."

If you think you can, you probably will do, and become, exactly what you thought. That means if you think you can't, you'll get stuck in that loop too. Dr. Joe Dispenza citied in his book "You are the placebo" how humans think on average, 60000 to 70000 thoughts per day and 90 percent of those thoughts are the same thoughts you had yesterday. That means you're virtually guaranteed to get mostly the same results as yesterday, not leaving much room for improvement.

So apparently... how you think and what you think are pretty important if it leads to your daily life experiences. Would you agree? But where do thoughts come from?

Do thoughts come from the outside, meaning circumstances mold thinking? Or do thoughts come from the inside, meaning you mold your thinking? Or perhaps... is it both? If you're willing to accept that much of how you think is circumstantially driven, and mostly unconsciously executed then you're probably on the right track. But if you're unwilling to accept that you have some choice in the matter of how you think, you're slipping from the track into victimhood. In other words... own it. Expose the unconscious world around you, simply by looking at it. Take a moment to see and judge a single thought and notice how once you're aware of it, you can change it.

An example I like to use is the thought about needing food. If I feel in my tummy, a little growl, my brain says its time to eat. It happens organically, unconsciously in fact, and before you know it, I've got a snack in my hand, moving toward my mouth. So... just for fun, I become aware of that thought. I look at it, analyze it and notice how unconscious it is, how quick it is, how urgent it feels. Then I can ask questions to learn more about my thoughts. I ask myself, "How urgent is this? Why is it so urgent? Can I live without it?" Then I dive into the answers and analyze them too.

It all feels a bit tedious. So often, instead, I let nature take over and I just go grab a bag of chips, and oops... I've found myself living in the same decisions as yesterday. But there is a way out of yesterday’s loop. The answer... stay in that awareness until you see a new thought that may be more useful. In the end, I might think that I can handle not eating until later. And voila, I've made a new decision.

But the purpose of writing about thinking was not to change how you think about food. It's to open a window to how you think about yourself in regards to progress, and hopes, and dreams.

When you dream about riding off into the sunset, do you cut the dream off when the first action thought or "to-do" item shows up? Do you realize you don't have the energy and by that line that says you can't? Or do you recognize the thoughts of "can't" and analyze them. Most people stay unconscious about their thoughts, but if you see them, you can start asking questions. Who says you can't anyway? Why do you listen? What does it mean? And what do the answers mean? Is there a deeper truth? And if you stick with the analyzation process, guess what? You'll find a new thought emerging. One that you own completely, one that says, "I can and I will!" Or some version of that.

What happens next, if you're persistent about the way you think, is you start living your dreams because the things that hold you back, simply don't hold you back anymore.

It sounds easy, just think happy thoughts. Don't think negative thoughts. Be optimistic all the time. But it's not so easy. It is that simple, just not that easy. The brain reacts to circumstances and tells the body to react in tune. But the brain has a deeper consciousness, deeper than this surface reaction to everything. The brain can analyze the brain. That's pretty cool if you ask me. Because, if you believe that's true, you can start analyzing the "can't" answers to your progress and dreams.

Some people know this already. And some brave people try to do just that. But sadly, they give up too quickly. Why do they give up? Because it's tedious, just like I said before. It's much easier to give into the reactions of the brain and body, rather than try to have a conversation with them. In part, because the reactions are so annoyingly abrasive. Imagine standing at the edge of and icy pond with a hole cut out for you to jump in and experience a polar plunge. Do you think that inner voice is sweet and kind when he or she says, "I don't think so!"

That part of the brain is abrasive and curt. At times, screaming at you to not do what you want to do. You literally have to overcome that reaction somehow. Some people try to shut it down. Others try to have a conversation with it. I recommend a bit of both and at different times. The key is to be persistent with your desire to grow and make progress and live your dreams. Be persistent with the reactive brain and body. Open your inner dialogue and learn more about yourself until one day, you find yourself not thinking those old limiting thoughts and instead find yourself riding off into the sunset, like the mover and shaker you truly are capable of being.

Watch your thoughts because they become your actions. I believe you deserve to have an abundance of optimistic thoughts every single day that lead to an abundant life. Obviously there is much more to learn about the brain and the way we interact with our circumstances, but I'll leave you with this... As a challenge to you, consciously say, "I am loved, lucky and lighthearted." Say it every day for ten days and notice how new thoughts start to emerge, how old thoughts fight back, and how better thoughts begin to see the light, leading to but not limited to, your hopes and dreams.

Thanks for reading, comment below. You guys are the best. Don