Brian Tracy teaches we become what we think about most of the time. The more we think about something the more it becomes who we are.
The writer of Proverbs observed, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he . . .”1
Buddha taught, “It is better to control yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or demons, heaven or hell.“2
A key to self-control is intentional thinking.
New York Times best selling Christian author Lysa Terkeurst observes, “Eve craved what she focused on”.3
Do you focus on food? I did. While a college student I followed a certain fad diet. I would count the hours when I needed to eat the next meal or snack. I obsessed over it, interrupting writing an essay or reading a chapter to obey my hunger.
It took years of effort, trial, error, and persistence.
Now my hunger obeys me.
I realized I needed a higher purpose outside of food. I’m learning, as Stephen R. Covey puts it, to “begin with the end in mind”4.
Pro Tip:
Picture your funeral. What do you want people to say? What do you want to have accomplished? Answering these questions will direct your daily decisions by focusing your thoughts on what YOU really want rather on your next meal. Begin today.
1. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/prov/23?id=p7&lang=eng#p7
2. Tracy, Brian. No Excuses The Power of Self-Discipline, 244.
3. i’ll start again on monday, 5.
4. The Seven Habits of Highly-Effective People, 97.
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